


The Prince of Pluto

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: (but smut won't happen for a while), Adventure, Alien Biology, Aliens, Alpha!Nico, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate History - First Contact during the Moon Landing, Alternate Universe - No Gods (Percy Jackson), Anal, Bottom!Percy, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Godly Parent as Planet of Origin, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, Later: - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Omega!Percy, Oral, Outer Space, Pining, Science Fiction, Slash, Top!Nico
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 04:48:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 52,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21452263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: The moon-landing had changed the course of history when humans made first contact. It opened Earth up to space-travel, exploring the solar system and their now allied planets. Chiron Academy is the leading high school training future space explorers.Percy Jackson grew up dreaming of one day traveling the stars. When he gets into the academy, he makes a lot of new friends, among them his new crush, the half-Plutonian Nico.Things change when Nico confides in his friends that he is actually the prince of Pluto – and that Pluto is in the middle of a horrible war. Together, the two and their close friends, decide to ditch school, steal a space-ship and go out into space alone to help Pluto.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Calypso/Jason Grace, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez, Drew Tanaka/Bryce Lawrence, Ethan Nakamura/Alabaster Torrington, Hazel Levesque/Leo Valdez/Frank Zhang, Jake Mason/Will Solace, Juniper/Grover Underwood, Katie Gardner/Malcolm Pace, Luke Castellan/Octavian, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Nyssa Barrera/Piper McLean, Silena Beauregard/Charles Beckendorf
Comments: 345
Kudos: 763





	1. The Men on the Moon

PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Prince of Pluto || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: The Prince of Pluto – A Journey to the Stars

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, scifi AU, aliens, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, hurt/comfort, fluff, pining, explicit intercourse, oral, anal, knotting, f/f, m/f, polyamory (m/m/f)

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Reyna/Annabeth, Nyssa/Piper, Octavian/Luke, Ethan/Alabaster, Jake/Will, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Calypso, Grover/Juniper, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Malcolm/Katie, Bryce/Drew, Paul/Sally, Tristan/Beryl, Maria/Marie, Hades/Persephone, Poseidon/Amphitrite, Thanatos/Triton

Percy Jackson Characters: (by planet/asteroid of origin)

_Sun_: Will Solace, Octavian Simmons, Austin Lake, Kayla Knowles  
_Mercury_: Luke Castellan, Chris Rodriguez, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Cecil Markowitz  
_Venus_: Piper McLean, Silena Beauregard, Michael Kahale, Drew Tanaka, Mitchell, Lacy  
_Earth_: Perseus Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Ella, Ethan Nakamura, Tyson, Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, Tristan McLean, Beryl Grace, Maria di Angelo, Marie Levesque  
_Moon_: Calypso Nightshade, Zoe Nightshade, Phoebe  
_Mars_: Clarisse la Rue, Frank Zhang  
_Vesta_: Charles Beckendorf, Leo Valdez, Jake Mason, Nyssa Barrera  
_Pallas_: Annabeth Chase, Malcolm Pace  
_Bellona_: Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Hylla Ramírez-Arellano  
_Ceres_: Katie Gardner, Miranda Gardner, Juniper  
_Jupiter_: Jason Grace, Thalia Grace  
_Saturn_: Kronos (King)  
_Chiron_: Chiron, Grover Underwood, Gleeson Hedge  
_Uranus_: Gaia (Queen), the Giants  
_Neptune_: Poseidon (King), Amphitrite (Queen), Triton, Proteus, Kymopoleia, Benthesikyme, Rhode  
_Orcus_: Bryce Lawrence  
_Pluto_: Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Mrs. O'Leary, Small Bob, Hades (King), Persephone (Queen), Thanatos, Olethros, Makaria, Melinoe  
_Eris_: Alabaster C. Torrington, Lou Ellen Blackstone

Summary: The moon-landing had changed the course of history when humans made first contact. It opened Earth up to space-travel, exploring the solar system and their now allied planets. Chiron Academy is the leading high school training future space explorers.

Percy Jackson grew up dreaming of one day traveling the stars. When he gets into the academy, he makes a lot of new friends, among them his new crush, the half-Plutonian Nico.

Things change when Nico confides in his friends that he is actually the prince of Pluto – and that Pluto is in the middle of a horrible war. Together, the two and their close friends, decide to ditch school, steal a space-ship and go out into space alone to help Pluto.

**The Prince of Pluto**

_A Journey to the Stars_

_Chapter 1: The Men on the Moon_

"Tell me the story, mom. Please, please, _please_."

"It's already late, you have to go to bed, my little prince. And you know the story by heart."

"Mo—om. Please? It's my favorite. And then I'll go to sleep, promise?"

Percy Jackson was an adorable child, with his messy dark hair and the largest possible sea-green eyes that could _really_ work the sad kicked kitten look. His mom was weak to those eyes. Sighing softly, she sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed his hair out of his face.

"It was the 20th of July in the year 1969", started Sally in her best story-teller voice, smiling down at her son. "The day that would change the history of our world _forever_."

She giggled a little as Percy eagerly mouthed 'forever' along with her. He scooted closer to her and stared eagerly up at her. Sally got more comfortable on his space-ship shaped bed and looked around. Luminescent stars were glued to the ceiling, mapping out the constellation Leo and beyond, toy space-ships and stuffed astronauts, a giant poster of Percy's favorite Disney movie, _The Men on the Moon_, the very reason why Percy was this obsessed with space, hanging right behind the headboard. The moon-landing. Sally wrapped an arm around Percy and pulled him closer.

"Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the very first human to do so, and do you know what he said?", asked Sally, grinning against Percy's hair as she rested her chin on his head.

"It's 'one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind'!", exclaimed Percy excitedly.

"And oh, Neil had _no idea_ just how far the leap really was", whispered Sally in a dramatic voice. "For the moment he tried to put the American flag into the moon's soil, the flag got shot right out of his hand by an arrow! Oh, the uproar of everyone watching on TV!"

Percy was practically vibrating in excitement because this was his favorite part. "Turns out that Queen Artemis of Selene doesn't like colonizers much. And _that_ was how we made first contact. They became friends and the queen agreed to help Earth reach out to other planets."

History, of course, was a little more complex than the Disney-version Percy watched approximately once a week, wearing out the VHS tape. But it was easier to portray Neil and Buzz immediately befriending Queen Artemis and gaining the help of the Lunarians. It had been a years long process of peace negotiations. Earth was closely monitored by Selene, as the Lunarians called their home because why should Earth's moon not have a name like any other moon. In the end, Queen Artemis had been the one to help Earth join the solar system alliance and introduced them to the leaders of the other planets. From thereon out, Earth expanded its space-travel program.

"We made lots and lots of friends all over the solar system, many humans moving to other planets and people from other planets moving to Earth to live among humans", continued Sally softly. "They helped us build an amazing space-travel program. And at the forefront of it stands-"

"Chiron Academy!", exclaimed Percy, jumping up and down a little, pointing at another poster.

It was a poster of Chiron Academy, the founder Chiron Brunner standing tall and proud in front of the building. At the bottom was the _I Want You To Travel Space_ slogan written. Sally laughed and pulled Percy back down to lay on the bed, tickling his stomach a little.

"Exactly! Chiron Academy, the greatest school for future space-explorers. Both Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong taught young space-explorers for many, many years at that school."

"I wanna go to Chiron Academy, mommy", whispered Percy, yawning and snuggling closer to his mother. "I'm gonna become the greatest space-explorer ever and then we'll get out of here and move to... move to Neptune. Neptune is the prettiest. Just you and me, mom..."

"That sounds wonderful", smiled Sally strained, kissing his cheek. "Now sleep, my little prince."

/break\

Percy had grown up watching _The Men on the Moon_ basically on a loop, it was his favorite Disney movie. It had been the first time he had seen the moon and Lunarians, but for him as a kid, it had meant more than just the amazing Disney renaissance animation and how cool Neil and Buzz had looked in their Disney-fied versions, it had been an... escape. An opportunity. The moon. The moon was out there and _so far away_, it was a whole new world. Growing up with his abusive stepfather, Percy had always dreamed to one day escape. To become a space-explorer, earning enough money to move himself and his mom to the moon, or to literally any other planet in the solar system, as long as it was far, far away from Gabe, where him and his mom could be happy and safe.

He didn't have to go to the moon to be happy and safe though, because when he was twelve Paul Blofis came into his life. He was a teacher at Chiron Academy and had come to Percy's school, promoting the academy. Out of everyone in his class, Percy was the most enthusiastic, having wanted this since he was four years old. Paul had been amused and impressed by Percy's not just enthusiasm but also knowledge – knowing where he wanted to work one day had led to him reading up on everything about space-travel and expansion. So Paul wanted to meet up with his parents and... Paul found out about Gabe. Paul helped Sally and Percy out there and even after that, he stayed in contact, tried to help them and over the months, Paul and Sally fell in love.

"Stop looking so nervous, kiddo. This is what you've been directly working toward for the past four years. You're ready for this", stated Paul with a smile, resting a hand on Percy's shoulder.

They were standing in front of Chiron Academy together, Percy, Paul and Sally. Because Paul was his stepfather now. Love had led to more and finally, Sally and Percy were _happy_. Percy Jackson, at age sixteen, had absolutely everything he could have ever hoped for. Him and his mom were safe, Gabe was no longer in their lives, both had gone to therapy for years after to deal with the trauma, Sally was now married to a good, kind man who was the father Percy had always missed in his life. He had worked his ass off at school to have good enough grades to be able to apply for Chiron Academy – and here he was, standing at the gates to the academy.

"One small step for a man...", muttered Percy as he set a foot on the first step.

"One giant leap for mankind", finished Sally with a smile, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I feel like that's a stretch, mom", chuckled Percy, looking at her.

"Oh, it's not. You're going to be the best", stated Sally with full conviction. "You will... You will discover new planets, form new alliances, you will impress them _so much_. You'll change history."

Percy smiled to himself and leaned against his mom for a moment. Sally and Paul had come to help him move his stuff here. Chiron Academy was a boarding school, a four-year program covering the most important high school classes as well as the curriculum required for space-explorers. Which, obviously meant it was going to be _a lot_ of hard work and studying, as well as physical training. But Percy was willing and prepared for it. He was nervous about leaving his mom, but now at least he knew that his mom was safe and taken care of. The one and only thing that Percy had been worried about during his years of dreaming of this had been that he'd have to leave his mom alone with Gabe. Now there was no more Gabe, only kind and caring Paul.

"I am very much looking forward to having you in my class, Perce", declared Paul proudly.

This was still weird to him, even after three years of Paul and Sally dating. He had a father-figure looking out for him, loving him and hearing him. All his life, the only one he had known was Gabe and he resented his abuser. His biological father had never been in the picture. His mother never talked about the man, she just got so very sad that he stopped asking questions.

"I just really hope my roommate will be awesome", grunted Percy. "...That's gonna be so weird. Sharing a room with someone else."

"You'll be fine. And if they treat you badly, you tell me", stated Paul.

"And it's not like I'm out of the world", assured Sally gently. "Paul works here, he drives to work every day. It's not far. So you can visit as often as you want or need, I can see you all the time."

"You're right. You're totally right, mom", laughed Percy, kissing her cheek.

"That's cute, having your parents bring you to your first day of high school."

Percy blushed and turned toward the voice. There stood a really handsome guy with distinctively Plutonian features. His eyes were black, the eyeballs actually pitch-black but the irises a startlingly beautiful silver. He had sharp cheekbones and a cheeky grin, dark curls and olive-skin. And, most prominently, there were those large, black wings on his back, feathered and beautiful.

"Oh, don't be childish, you complained all the way to school that mamma doesn't have time to drop _you_ off and that _I_ had to pick you up and bring you here, fratellino."

The cheekily grinning Plutonian now blushed and glared at the girl next to him. Also a Plutonian, and the same eyes, even the same black curls just hers way longer than his, reaching down to her waist. She was grinning teasingly at the boy next to her, nudging him.

"C'mon, Bia!", hissed the boy. "No need to embarrass me on my first day!"

"Hello, I'm Bianca di Angelo, second year. This is my younger brother Nico, he is also a first year just like you. How about I show you the dorms too?", offered the girl, looking at Percy with a smile.

"I think we got that covered, Bianca", replied Paul with a smile.

"Oh! Mister Blofis. I didn't see you there. Hello", greeted Bianca with a very happy smile. "This nerd right here is absolutely going to be your new favorite student."

"Well, I think your brother has strong competition with _my son_", noted Paul amused.

Percy ducked his head, grinning a little bit. He kind of loved that Paul accepted him so wholeheartedly as his son, it had never been _step_son. Bianca looked a bit surprised at that.

"Oh. I didn't know your son would be attending this year", exclaimed Bianca excitedly before zooming in on Percy. "Hello, Percy, it is _so_ good to meet you, I'm glad you got in."

"...Why does this stranger know my name?", whispered Percy confused.

"Because Mister Blofis talks about you _all_ the time", stated Bianca with a grin. "It's always 'Percy this' and 'Percy that'. Like, 'Percy already knew this when I was preparing the things for today's class'. It's super cute? We've seen Mrs. Blofis around a lot, which always makes everyone whisper, because like, your parents are _super_ cute together, so it's nice to put a face to the son's name."

Percy side-eyed Paul a little at that. It was one thing to hear Paul proudly call him son when Percy was around, but to hear that Paul was proudly talking about him with his classes...? He smiled a little bit and tilted his head before he turned to look back at the di Angelo siblings.

"Hi, I'm Percy. Because I like to introduce myself", grinned Percy and offered his hand to Nico. "I guess you and I are going to be classmates, huh? So... Nice to meet you."

"Oh. Yeah. Yes. I'm Nico, hello", nodded Nico, happily shaking the offered hand.

"Not to interrupt, but these boxes don't get lighter", noted Paul.

"Oh, right, sorry for keeping you. Can I take that from you?", suggested Nico.

"Ah. Already sucking up to the teacher. Bianca, you're right, I like this one", nodded Paul.

Nico took one of the two boxes from Paul and together, the five of them headed inside and toward the dorm-rooms. Percy and Nico both kept looking around in awe. The building was old, but not like run-down old – fancy old. Like castles and mansions from the past. It was beautiful, with so many decorations and everything. Paul and Bianca led them out of the main building, through a beautiful park and toward the actual dorm-room building.

"You nervous about your first day?", asked Nico softly. "Not that I'm nervous."

"You packed, unpacked and packed again _five times_ last night", called Bianca out.

"Oh, will you please stop", groaned Nico frustrated.

"Mom, dad, thanks for keeping me an only child", chimed Percy out amused.

"You're welcome, sweetheart", chuckled Sally.

"Yes. I was super nervous", answered Percy after another moment, looking at Nico. "This... This is _everything_ I ever wanted. I didn't sleep _at all_ after I sent in my application until I got the acceptance letter. So, it's not... bad nervousness, it's 'it's finally happening' nervousness."

"That's amazing", nodded Nico with his eyebrows raised.

"What about you?", asked Percy curiously. "I mean, has it been your dream too?"

Nico looked reluctant for a moment as though it was too personal and something about the way he answered told Percy that there was more to it after all. "I've never been to Pluto myself. I'm half-Plutonian, I guess... you figured that out. The wings always give it away. And... there aren't many Plutonians on Earth. I'm... so used to people, mostly humans, staring at me disturbed because my _kind_ isn't that represented around here. And I... I want to go to Pluto, I want to be among... other people who look like me. Or just... travel the stars and be among a variety of people who are _different_. Here, on Earth, we will always be... aliens. Out there? _Everybody_ is an alien."

Percy nodded slowly, unsure what to say. It figured. Humans were still being racist toward other humans just for having different skin-color, but aliens, especially those with prominent physical features, faced a lot of xenophobia. Some countries were worse than others, some races faced worse than others. Percy couldn't imagine. He was a white human guy, aside from not being straight, he checked all the safe boxes. He wondered, often, what it'd be like to be alien, especially when he had been preparing for the entrance exam for Chiron Academy, because he _knew_ he was at a physical disadvantage compared to many other applicants – Plutonians literally could fly, Martians could lift fifty times their weight, Mercurians ran faster than a cheetah. Percy also knew a lot of the xenophobia was more about that physical advantage than the appearance; jealousy and envy, trying to find an angle to put others down and feel better about themselves.

"Dork, stop walking. This is your dorm-room", stated Bianca.

"Oh. Uhm, no, wait, I could... carry this box to your room for you", offered Nico, looking at Percy.

"You just want to know what room the cute guy is staying in", muttered Bianca amused.

"...I regret ever asking you to pick me up and bring me here", hissed Nico.

Percy grinned to himself as they continued on to his room, though he had to admit that he did check what room-number Nico was in. Just to... know. It _was_ kind of nice that he had gotten to talk to someone already and seemingly was getting along with him. The most nerve-wrecking thing about a new school was always the making friends part. But the di Angelo siblings were cool.

"Ah, here we are", declared Percy as he spotted his own room. "Not too far from yours."

He knocked, just to be sure – and got an answer. "Come on in! You must be my new roommate!"

A brunette guy opened the door, crooked grin on his face and beanie on his head. "Yes. I'm Percy."

"Good to meet you, Percy. I'm Grover. Grover Underwood. Also a first year."

Percy followed Grover inside and looked around curiously. The room was spacious, two beds, pushed against opposite sides of the room, with a window between them. Two desks, a couch, some shelves. It was nice. It'd do. Paul, Sally and Nico put his boxes down on the unused bed and the first thing Percy did was to carefully take the rolled up poster out of one box and grab the pins he had packed also into that box, then jumping onto his bed and pinning it right above the headboard.

"_The Men on the Moon_?", asked Nico as he got a proper look. "Ah, that was one of my favorite movies growing up too. I thought Queen Artemis was _so_ cool."

"Really? I always liked Buzz the most", grunted Grover. "Uh, hi there, not roommate."

"Nico. Also a first year. But I should also head to my room. It was nice meeting you."

Percy bit his lower lip as he watched Nico go before falling back down onto his bed. Sally had sat down at the foot-end of it, curiously looking around the room. The poster was very important. It had been his motivator. He had stared at it for hours as a child, imagining the future that could be, it had been his escape when Gabe had still lived with them. Now, it was a reminder of just how far he had come – and how far he was still going to go. He grinned. Yes, with the poster, this place already started to feel a little bit like home. He was ready for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, THIS IS MY 500TH PJO FIC! HOT DAMN! :O
> 
> Secondly, I wanted to so something special for my 500th, so a new multi-chapter fic it was. To take the place of Summers High in my schedule and, hopefully, in yours. I admit it's going to hit many similar beats - because well I like those - like Percy's hidden parentage, a high school AU, slow-burn and ABOverse (and this time we're actually going to call it what it is).
> 
> The ABO part hasn't come up yet because, as of right now, Percy is still fully human so he doesn't notice the different scents yet and we've only had Percy's POV so far. Like I said, slow-burn so patience. ;)


	2. The Foundation of Friendship is Food

_Chapter 2: The Foundation of Friendship is Food_

When Percy woke up, it immediately put a smile on his lips. This wasn't his room at home. This was his new dorm-room, at Chiron Academy. Because he was now officially a student at Chiron Academy, after all these years of dreaming about this. He couldn't believe it.

"Morning, Grover!", called Percy out as he sat up.

"Hng... sleep... sh...", groaned his roommate.

They had talked until late last night, about their family and what had brought them here – Grover had grown up with his uncle, Coach Hedge who taught at this school. He had been born on Earth, had never actually seen the home-planet of his family. Space-travel as a civilian was expensive, not many could afford it. Joining the space-program was for many the only chance to ever get to explore their family's roots. Grover was from the asteroid Chiron, just like Chiron Brunner. Aliens from the asteroid had lived on Earth for millennia, known as fabled creatures, though those terms were mostly considered slurs nowadays, wielded by those freaked out by the alien physiology. Percy thought Grover looked pretty cool, especially the horns – though due to his young age, they were still rather small (Grover insisted, they would grow with time). The part that Percy found so fascinating about it was that both Grover and Chiron were from that planet, but were rather distinctively different in physiology and there were other races from that planet that looked different in their lower body-half, looking like other species Earth's hoofed animals, such as antelopes and donkeys. It reminded him how old science fiction used to always present alien planets as one distinct culture, one alien race, one color of for humans unnatural skin-color. Which was pretty stupid, considering that even Earth had _so_ many different cultures and skin-colors. Why shouldn't other planets have as many various cultures and physical appearances?

"So you're not gonna join me on a morning jog then?", asked Percy playfully.

In reply, Grover threw his pillow at Percy. Laughing, Percy put on jogging pants and shoes and left. He went on a jog every morning before school. It would be a great way of getting more familiar with the school's grounds now. His first lap brought him around the dorm-building, then he rounded the school-building, the mansion where the staff lived – well, most of the staff. His dad didn't, because Percy had gone to a school farther away so Paul had moved in with Sally and Percy. Maybe... now that Percy lived here, they would consider moving into the school's grounds too? They hadn't talked about it just yet, because they were so busy focusing on Percy and his school-career. Now that he had moved in, now that all was settled...

Shaking his head, he continued on to the fourth building. The cafeteria, which was honestly more like a restaurant. Percy had eaten here before, when him and Sally had visited Paul at work for lunch. The last two buildings were the hangar with the school's ships as well as the training facility – the gym and pool were in there. Everything about this campus made Percy giddy.

"Ah. Another early bird. There aren't too many of us."

Startled, he turned toward the voice. There was a tall blonde with a scar running down his face, jogging up to him. A friendly smile was on his face as he caught up to Percy.

"Always been, always will be", replied Percy. "Hey. I'm Percy, new first year."

"Luke Castellan, second year. Good to meet you."

What caught Percy's eyes were the wings at Luke's feet. So he was Mercurian. They were insanely fast runners, could even hover a bit – the ankle-wings were not strong enough for full flying though.

"Isn't running with me going to slow you down?", asked Percy curiously.

"Eh. It's not like I'm running to win, I'm running to move", shrugged Luke with an easy-going smile. "What's yours? Your secret, special advantage? Or, planet of origin, for that matter."

"Terran through and though. The only special thing about me are my baking skills."

"Doubt that, but would love to try that baking", laughed Luke. "You _gotta_ be very special for making it into the academy. Even more so if you don't have any physical advantage."

"I'm a very determined, stubborn bastard. It got me in here", grinned Percy.

Luke laughed and the two of them continued on their jog for another two rounds around the campus. Luke talked a bit about himself, about the school, and asked about what drove Percy here. When they came to a halt in front of the dorm-building again, Luke rested a hand on Percy's shoulder, making up look up curiously. Luke had his eyes narrowed at Percy.

"You. I like you. If you need any help or advise around here, come find me."

"...Thanks", hummed Percy curiously, watching Luke walk away.

Shaking his head, Percy headed back to his room to get showered and changed for the first day of class. A nice, cold shower was exactly what he had needed, though with a look at the clock, and the roommate's bed, he realized it was still 'too early'. Not his fault his jitters made him wake up at the crack of dawn. He considered laying down again but then he'd just get sleepy and for that, it was already too late. Another thought crossed his mind and with a hopeful grin did he sneak out of his room once more, down the hall, to the room he had memorized yesterday.

"Who—o are yo—ou and do you own a clock."

Startled, Percy froze, with his hand still raised after knocking. A cranky blonde with insanely messy hair had opened the door, blue eyes staring at him tired and pissed. Had he the wrong room...?

"Percy. Hey. Excuse the roommate. He is... not an early riser."

Percy's face brightened when he saw Nico poking his head out behind the cranky blonde. "Hey. I was awake kind of early and had hoped you'd be too."

"Great, great. Another one of _those_. Take him with you, please. Let me go back to sleep."

The blonde pushed Nico out of the room and closed the door rather decidedly, leaving a startled Nico outside with Percy. Shaking himself, Nico straightened his wings with an offended look.

"So... you're not getting along with your roommate?", guessed Percy.

"No, no, I do. I mean, I did last night. Guess he _really_ isn't a morning person. You?"

"Sa—ame", sighed Percy. "He threw a pillow at me when I asked him to go on a jog with me." Percy paused and laughed at the absolutely mortified look on Nico's face. "No, I didn't come to get you to go on a jog with me. I am... post-jog, I guess. Just... wanted to hang out?"

Nico's face visibly filled with relief at that. "Good. I am _not_ a... jog-person."

"Jogger. There is literally a word for that and it's jogger", laughed Percy.

Nico wiggled his nose at that. "No, no. A jogger is someone who jogs. A jog-person is someone with _any_ capacity of jogging or understanding of people who would willingly jog. I am decidedly anti-jogging. At all. It is cruel and unnecessary and why would you _do_ that."

"Okay, okay, okay. No jogging for you", chuckled Percy amused. "How about breakfast?"

"_Now_ you're speaking my language", grinned Nico. "I'm starving."

"So if you don't jog, why are you awake this early?", asked Percy as they left the building.

"I guess I was too nervous about the first day to really sleep", shrugged Nico thoughtfully.

"Same", laughed Percy softly. "This... is everything I dreamed about for the past ten years of my life. And now it's happening and I am just... I am so excited."

The two entered the cafeteria and were left in awe. It was such a large space and so beautiful – and the buffet! Percy's mouth watered as he walked along the length of it with Nico. There was _so much_ food and... and so much alien food, literally. Things that were rare to come by, some things Percy had been dying to try but it was so rare that it was so incredibly expensive on Earth. Delicacies from other planets. But it figured that this school, for people from all planetary backgrounds, would provide food that is digestible and edible for each of them.

"The buffet thing makes sense", mused Percy. "I mean, dietary restrictions? Things many _can't_ eat – out of physical or religious reasons. This way, everyone can just get what they can eat."

"You look ridiculously giddy", grinned Nico as he watched Percy.

"Over half this stuff, I've never eaten. Some I've never even _seen_ before! Of course I'm giddy. Especially food from the outer planets is so hard to come by on Earth and we... didn't have the money to just indulge in all those things? And now I just... get to eat it? For free?"

Nico was smiling at him, watching with near fondness how Percy kept piling food on his plate.

""Hey there, you know... you can take seconds, right?"

Turning a little, Percy looked at the girl who had spoken. Oh. Nico's sister, with another girl with dark hair and blue highlights that matched her electric-blue eyes. Both were eyeing Percy's plate.

"Yes, no. I know that. I just... uh...", shrugged Percy a bit awkwardly.

"C'mon, you can sit with us", prompted Bianca. "This is Thalia Grace, your roommate's sister."

"Sorry you're stuck with Jason", chimed Thalia. "Don't let him eat any staplers."

"...What does that even mean?", asked Nico confused, looking from Thalia over to Percy.

Percy shrugged with a grin and sat down with them at the table. There were two other girls sitting there, all with matching silver markings on their skin, just like Thalia. They caught the light and reflected it beautifully. The symbols of Selene, birthmarkings of Selenians. They looked _way_ cooler in real life than in the Disney cartoon though.

"Phoebe and Zoe. We're members of the school's archery team."

"I'm the _captain_ of the archery team", corrected Zoe pointedly.

"Right, gotta join some kind of sports-team or club", nodded Nico with furrowed eyebrows.

"What? You haven't picked one yet?", asked Percy with a grin, bouncing a little.

"What, you have? Oh. Track? Is that why you went jogging?", asked Nico.

"Nah. I like jogging to get my head straight but... what I'm really good at is swimming, so I'm gonna join the swim team", declared Percy, the bounce increasing just a bit.

"Someone is excited", noted Bianca a little amused.

"Ye—es. I wanted to come here for _so_ many years. And now I'm here and it's... so much bigger and amazing than I ever pictured? I can't wait for classes to start!"

"Nerd", muttered Nico beneath his breath, though he was smiling.

"That is adorable. That child-like glee and wonder", sighed Thalia dryly. "Oh, Bia, do you remember even being that sparkly-eyed and enthusiastic? Youth's gifts."

The other girls were laughing at that and started talking among themselves about upcoming try-outs and training schedules. Percy took that as his cue to focus on his food. There were azure-blue tentacles long and thin like spaghetti. They were, supposedly, a delicacy of Neptune.

"You're staring at those tentacles like you want to propose to them", noted Nico. "How can you even put sea-food on your plate _for breakfast_. I'm turning green just considering it..."

"This is going to sound silly, but I've always wanted to try those. Growing up, my... my mom and I had that thing, like an inside joke. Blue food. And we... I've seen them, in the market before. But when a hundred gram of tentacles cost as much as our entire weekly groceries... I never even _asked_ my mom to buy it, because she would and... that's just not... worth it. But look at that vibrant blue color, I always wanted to know what they taste like", replied Percy softly.

"Well then, dig in. Seareals taste best while they're still warm", offered Phoebe.

"And by 'best', she means 'barely edible'", tagged Zoe on, wiggling her nose.

Percy decided to do as he would with spaghetti and twirled them on his fork before taking a bite. Apparently, the sound he made was not really appropriate, because even the people sitting on the tables around them looked at Percy. Blushing brightly, Percy sucked in the rest of the tentacle.

"Sorry", mumbled Percy around his mouthful.

"I take it, you like it?", laughed Thalia.

"It tastes like _bacon_", hissed Percy excitedly. "It's delicious and like with a fizzle?"

"It does _not_ taste like bacon", muttered Zoe and made a face.

"Different physiology, different taste-receptors. Did you not way any attention in biology?", snorted Bianca. "What tastes like burned charcoal to you and me tastes delicious to Vestians. Guess Percy got lucky on being able to actually get that stuff down."

Yes, the buffet really did make the most sense, if taste didn't just vary but was truly _that_ different. Percy emptied his place in record time and rushed off to get seconds, trying to make his way through as much as possible. The table had gotten insanely silent though.

"...Your first serving was already twice as much as mine, _how_ are you even eating all of that?"

Percy looked up at Zoe and swallowed his mouthful of Seareals. "I've uh always had a higher metabolism but it's been getting kinda crazier in recent years...?"

Shrugging, Percy continued eating, as more people came to their table. He perked up a little when he recognized Luke among them. Luke arrived with four others, one of them with dark, red skin like a ruby, the other with constantly shifting eyes like a kaleidoscope.

"Perce! That's the kid I was telling you guys about. The one I decided to keep. Perce, that's Beckendorf, Silena, Clarisse and my very own Octavian", introduced Luke.

"Damn those omega-instincts", muttered Octavian displeased. "Stop always adopting strays."

Omega. Percy perked up a little more, tilting his head. Most alien-races had that – a far more complex definition of sexes. They had alphas and omegas. Those who were like Percy, who didn't have such a variety, were referred to as betas. Though, for many it was even more complex, having more Greek letters in their systems. The alpha/beta/omega system was what helped humans understand it. They had such a hard time breaking their binary thinking that back in the sixties, being confronted with races where "male and female" was not enough to classify people was just way beyond them. Percy knew that they could smell it in the scent, alphas and omegas. But, well, being a human, not being able to smell that distinction was one of the things lost on them. And just flat-out asking "hey, what are you?" was _kind of_ rude. As in, it was insanely rude.

"Luke likes adopting strays", offered Silena with a giggle. "He's always done that. Makes him a little bit of a den-mom around here, you know."

"Oh, that reminds me. Another one of my 'strays' is a new first year. You're gonna be in class together. Let me introduce her, maybe you'll hit it off. Annie! Annabeth, come sit with us!"

Luke waved a girl with long, blonde curls over to sit with them. Percy bit his lips as he watched them nudge their heads together in a gentle greeting. Thalia reached out to ruffle the girl's hair a little, making her huff. Seemed like this Annabeth already had a home-advantage of having people here she knew. Just like Nico, who had his big sister. Percy had never considered how... scary it'd be to tackle all of this _on his own_. He threw a sideways glance at Nico. Thankfully, he wasn't going to have to do this alone after all. Seemed he was doing relatively good at meeting people.

"This one is 'excited for classes to start'. Sounds like your kind of people, Annabeth", noted Thalia.

Annabeth did turn toward him in interest. "Most around here are most excited about the first flight class. Even though we won't get to actually do any flying until we're at least six months in."

"Oh no, I want all of it. Like, literally all of it", replied Percy, gesturing a little. "Biology classes that do more than just this scrap of 'here are super superficial stereotypes and racial profiles of each planet's most prominent race' and the most basic explanation of alpha/omega dynamics. Food! Culinary classes that teach what is edible and what's not so we'll be able to fend for ourselves on other planets. The physical training, being assigned our own teams-"

"I agree so much", groaned Annabeth. "Public education on Earth _sucks_."

"Uhm, is it... rude to ask, but... you're human, like me?", asked Percy tentatively.

He didn't spot any markings, nothing about the gray-eyed blonde girl stood out as non-human. "Part human. My father is human. My mother is from Pallas."

Annabeth winked at Percy and turned partially invisible. Wow. Palladians could access more parts of their brain, leading to a higher average IQ than humans and the coolest thing was they could actually turn themselves and things they were touching invisible.

"That is so awesome", whispered Percy.

"Hng. Why is my roommate sitting with my sister. What is this."

Percy and Nico turned around to face a very sleepy and grumpy looking Jason. Yes, Nico's roommate was most definitely not a morning person. Grumbling to himself, Jason took his seat on Nico's other side and then leaned forward to steal half of Thalia's PBJ sandwich.

"Nico is Bianca's little brother. It's why we cheated on the rooming arrangements to set you two up with each other. Call it your sisters setting up a play-date for you", grinned Thalia. "I figured you'd be totally lost on your own, so... have a friend."

"...This feels insanely insulting", muttered Nico and turned toward Jason.

"Yeah, but like... you get used to it", huffed Jason, stuffing the sandwich fully into his mouth.

"Look at the next generation, mouthy like that", complained Thalia, motioning at them.

"What I see is potential", declared Luke mischievously, looking at Percy, Nico, Jason and Annabeth. "Those kids could go far, with a little bit... guidance."

That made Percy grin before he continued eating. Next was a large plate of sea-shells. They were purple and pretty. Once he had sucked them out, he pocketed the shells. It wasn't exactly like when he found them at the beach, but shells were shells, right? He watched Luke go to the buffet and when he returned, he placed something on Percy's plate. It was _blue jello_.

"Where did you get that, I didn't see that with the desserts?", gasped Percy, eagerly digging in.

"Not a dessert. Basically tastes like condensed salt to most, but considering the gusto with which you ate the other things, I'm guessing you may have a taste for this rare gem too", offered Luke.

"I accept being adopted by you, you provide me with good food", mumbled Percy, mouth full.

He still blinked a but surprised when Luke did the same face-nudging gesture he had done with Annabeth earlier. Huh, guess he really had just been adopted by the Mercurian? Okay, this was fine.

"The way to a man's heart truly is through his stomach", sighed Silena fondly. "Right, Charlie?"

Beckendorf grunted in agreement as he ate what looked like badly burned chicken. And Percy did mean 'Paul tried to cook but forgot it in the stove for over an hour' kind of badly burned.

"Being an early riser is going to prove to be useful around here", started Clarisse seriously, pointing her fork first at Percy and then at Jason. "Minor Grace, you could learn a thing or two from him."

"Minor Grace?!", repeated Jason offended.

"Yes. Minor Grace and Minor di Angelo. Would you prefer Mini Grace?", asked Clarisse.

"No—o... I'm fine with Minor", muttered Jason with the defeat of a little brother who had to deal with this nonsense for many years. "So, Percy. Got any older siblings making your life harder?"

"Nope. Absolute only child. Never had any siblings at all. Always wondered what it'd be like having older siblings, but seeing you lot makes me feel very grateful", chuckled Percy.

"Listen, kid. You're on thin fucking ice here", warned Thalia seriously, waving her knife at him. "Luke, Bianca, Zoe, Hylla and me have decided over half a year ago that our little siblings – Annabeth being counted honorarily – are going to become a team, the best team after us that this academy has ever seen. You're allowed in, since Luke adopted you and little Neeks seems to like you, but if you get cheeky, we will revoke that invitation."

"Who's Hylla?", was all Percy asked, ignoring the rest.

Thalia pointed toward the doorway where two girls with light-red skin and long, black hair walked in. Curiously enough, Percy watched how Annabeth's mouth formed a little o and her arms turned slightly invisible. Well, now Percy was glad that he had no special physical abilities that could give away any attraction _immediately_. His eyes found Nico and those mighty, mighty black wings. Yeah, he was _very_ glad. Clearing his throat, he decided to focus on breakfast; there was not much time left before classes started and he had _at least_ another plate to polish before then. And then the real fun was going to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow start. But it IS a slow-burn. And I GOTTA world-build (I love world building). I do, however, apologize for this chapter being very food-heavy... I like food. And the idea of alien food and what kind of meats they'd have to offer? Urgh, I love it. Also, food is a great way of meeting people! ;D
> 
> But next chapter! First actual classes! (...classes really were supposed to start today and then I got hungry while writing and let the cafeteria hijack the whole chapter xD)


	3. First Class

_Chapter 3: First Class_

Percy was wearing the uniform with pride. It was skin-tight, orange and purple. Breathable and stretchy – and in line with the way the official uniforms of the space-explorers looked. It made Percy feel like a _part_ of it already. He stood straight, chest puffed out, in a line with his new classmates. Nico, Annabeth, Grover, Jason, Reyna – Hylla's younger sister – among many others. They were a class of about two hundred people. This was _the_ most prestigious space academy in the states. People from all fifty states tried to come in here. _He had gotten into this academy_.

"First, I'd like to congratulate you. Getting into this school is hard. And it's hard for a reason."

Chiron Brunner stepped up to them, arms crossed behind his back. Percy tried very hard not to grin like a manic fanboy, but _this is Chiron Brunner_. He had basically brought the concept of space-academies to the states. He had helped build the first academy. This academy.

"Now, I want you to look left and right of you. Look the people next to you in the eye."

Percy obeyed, finding himself looking at Nico on his right, who grinned at him, then looking at his left at Annabeth, who managed to look absolutely serious and excited at the same time.

"One of them will not be there anymore in half a year." Muttering went through the rows. "Statistically, a third of our recruits will drop out by the time the first semester ends. I am not saying this to scare you. I'm saying this to make you face reality. Congratulations, you got into the academy, _but_ that was not the hard part. That was only the beginning. Don't think you can lean back now because you got in. It's only going to get harder from hereon out. Brace yourselves for what's about to come and pace yourselves. Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, sir", chorused all two hundred of them at once.

"Good. You've all received your schedules. Now off you go to your first classes."

"What's your first class?", asked Percy immediately, looking at the other two.

"...Math", muttered Nico put out. "That's... anticlimactic, somehow."

"Sorry for your loss", grinned Percy amused. "I got biology."

"Same", stated Annabeth. "Wanna head there together?"

"Oh, wait for me!", exclaimed Grover and caught up to them.

Percy's grin turned softer as he fell into step with Annabeth and Grover. Sure, this was going to be hard. But it was going to be so good too. They were going to do this _together_.

/break\

Percy hadn't stopped blushing for the past twenty minutes. They really didn't waste any time here. Biology dove right into alpha/omega dynamics, heats, ruts, pheromones. It made sense. Most public schools barely scratched that topic, coming fresh out of middle school they really only knew the most fundamental terms. But this was different. They were _living_ together. Young, hormonal alphas and omegas living just a few rooms apart. To make this living and working arrangement here possible, productive and _safe_, they had to draw some lines in the sand and explain to everyone. Because humans like Percy, betas who lacked those instincts, they needed to understand what was happening around them too. Don't get into the way of two alphas fighting when they were in a primal headspace. Don't _ever_ get in the way of a feral omega.

That was the first new thing he had learned here, because to the larger human public, the impression was that omegas were... well, submissive, soft, _weak_, non-threatening. Alphas were supposedly the strong and threatening presence. Turned out that what alphas had in brute force, omegas had in agility and when really pushed, omegas were far more dangerous than alphas.

And while utterly interesting, it was also kind of embarrassing to listen to this middle-aged woman teach them about ruts and knots. The school was under no illusion that they could prevent four hundred hormonal teenagers from having sex at all. It was going to happen, they all knew it. What they could do was teach them _safe_ sex, prevent on campus pregnancies and injuries. Because it turned out that yeah, knots were actually _a thing_ – part of Percy kind of thought that was a fib – only omegas had the capabilities of taking a knot. Don't be reckless and try the physically impossible, had been the warning. Percy's head was _very_ red at that point.

They were first years, which meant that the majority of the alphas and omegas in their class hadn't yet presented. Which was the big angle of today's class, and supposedly of class for the next three or four weeks. Prepare them for what is physiologically happening when presenting, not just for themselves but also what is happening to those _around_ them.

"Prejudices are rooted in a severe lack of understanding. We're here to correct that. You will have to understand your own bodies, and the bodies of others. _Any_ form of bullying is reason for a suspense and, if repeated, reason for expulsion. Our hope here is that if you understand what is happening on a biological level, you will think twice of making fun of others for it."

That seemed like a good approach. Percy, having been bullied before as a young child, knew that people liked to make fun of those who were _different_ in any sense and of those things they didn't understand. The other kids didn't know what dyslexia or ADHD were, he was just the jumpy weirdo who couldn't read properly. If someone had explained it to them, just maybe things for Percy would have been different. Percy also remembered from his last year in middle school, when one of the girls had already developed _quite_ the boobs and got picked on by the other girls and got lewd remarks from many of the boys, who simply parroted what they heard in TV or heard older kids say. Education wasn't going to end bullying, but it sure seemed like the right step to decrease it.

/break\

"That... sure was an experience", muttered Annabeth, rubbing her forehead, cheeks red.

"I mean, honestly, it was rather interesting?", offered Grover. "Chiron – the asteroid, my home, not... uh, our principle – doesn't have alpha/omega dynamics either. All I knew was from like... TV shows. And I think we covered a lot of important stuff, even on this first class?"

"Ye—eah. She crammed a lot of knowledge into two times ninety minutes", agreed Percy. "Much only on the surface for now, but I'm curious to hear more."

"Well, it's different for the two of you because you're betas. I just...", sighed Annabeth and shook her head. "I'm an omega. I have the genetic disposition of an omega, so I'll be presenting as one."

"See, and now Grover and I know how to react and how to help you if it happens all of a sudden in like... class or something", offered Percy with a grin.

It was relatively simple. Get an omega who was presenting first away from alphas, then out of public. Cooling down, if possible, get the closest teacher. It kind of made sense, now that he knew it, but he didn't know if he'd thought of it on his own. He'd probably be panicking because he didn't even know what happened. Now he knew the signs of an omega presenting.

"Let's all keep our fingers crossed that I _won't_ present in class", grunted Annabeth with a glare.

Percy laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "Of course, Chase. You'll be fine."

"We're going to get lunch now, right?", asked Grover hopefully.

Annabeth and Percy eagerly agreed to that and the three made their way to the cafeteria. After filling their plates, they went looking for a table – and spotted Nico, Jason and Reyna sitting together. Jason was Thalia's brother, but he didn't seem to take after the Selenian side of the family.

"Hey, Reyna", greeted Annabeth with a nearly shy smile.

Oh, she had done the doe-eyed expression this morning already, but Reyna had barely joined them for ten minutes before their breakfast table had dissolved. Percy grinned to himself while eating his Martian penne. Which, _very_ spicey, but also rather yummy.

"We didn't really get to talk much this morning. So, what's your story?", asked Percy curiously. "I'm Percy. Born and raised on Earth, both parents human. Always dreamed of coming here."

"Grover Underwood. Also born and raised on Earth, but my parents are from Chiron. I always did want to travel, but as an explorer, not a fighter", offered Grover next.

"Uh. Annabeth. My mother is from Pallas, I... I really want to travel to other worlds, gather knowledge", continued Annabeth, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I'm from Bellona. Me... me and my sister, we stowed away, after our father died. Traveled to Earth. I want to travel, in the name of the planet that took us in when we had no one. Gives... life a purpose", replied Reyna after a moment. "I've been working hard to get here."

"Haven't we all?", chuckled Jason. "Man. Did anyone else find Mister Brunner really intimidating this morning though? One third are gonna drop out."

"Well, that one third comes from a different table then", declared Nico.

/break\

"So, how was your first day at school?"

Percy grinned as his mom sat down with him. She 'happened' to come and pick Paul up from work and figured she'd drop by at Percy's dorm-room. She may just be the only person more excited about this than Percy himself. Folding his legs beneath his body, Percy leaned back.

"Easy. I think that's on purpose. To ease us in. Just a couple... regular classes. Drills and training start later in the week", offered Percy, pausing for a moment. "So... I've been thinking..."

"About what?", asked Sally, sounding concerned.

"I don't know. I just... I know you, and because of you Paul, don't live on campus because of me. Because of my middle school. But... now I go here... and I was just wondering, are you gonna... move here too?", asked Percy slowly, wiggling his nose a little.

"We... are thinking about it. It'd make life for Paul easier", replied Sally. "And... I admit, I'd feel better being closer to you too. Call me a helicopter parent if you want, but I _worry_."

Percy smiled and leaned into his mom, hugging her. He had to admit, he would prefer having her close too. Even though he seemed to do quite alright making friends now, he still felt like his mom was going to be the strong backbone who had brought him here and would help him through it.

"And the other children are nice to you?", asked Sally, cupping his face.

"Mo—om. We're not _children_. We're sixteen year old nearly adults", grumbled Percy.

"Sweetie, you're my sixteen year old _child_", chided Sally, kissing his forehead.

Percy grumbled some more at that. He was practically an adult, really. Three short years and he was going to graduate, be eighteen years old and leave for the stars. Three years was _nothing_.

/break\

The second day was harder than the first. Every second day had hard physical training in the schedule. Three days a week they were going to be run into the ground. The running drills alone left Percy feeling as though his lungs were on fire. He stared at the Mercurians who didn't even break a sweat. Physical disadvantages of being human.

"Hey there. Here, drink something, you're wheezing."

Percy turned toward Nico who was offering him a bottle of water. Gratefully, he took it and nearly emptied it. Groaning, he emptied the rest of the bottle over his head before collapsing backward onto the ground. He spread his arms out and stared up at the clouds.

"If this is... going to happen... three times a week... I... I may just _die_", gasped Grover out.

"Oh, you'll live. Don't give up that early", offered their classmate Chris.

"Easy for you to say, you literally flew over the tracks!", exclaimed Grover.

Chris was a Mercurian and his winged ankles had let him soar and be one of the first to cross the lines. Chris laughed as he landed next to them, offering Grover a bottle of water to pacify him.

"C'mon, you're gonna have the advantage when we're going out climbing", offered Chris.

"That is true. For now, I will have to suffer this course though", grunted Grover.

"When it burns, that means it's working", offered Percy with a bright grin.

"...I don't think that's right. That doesn't sound right", argued Nico disturbed.

"Shush. That's science and I'm right", grunted Percy, throwing the empty bottle at Nico.

"We got until Friday to sign up for clubs and activities. Did you guys all choose something already? It _is_ already Wednesday, after all", asked Grover curiously after a moment.

"Swi—im te—eam", exclaimed Percy in a drawn-out way.

"Yes, yes, we know", huffed Grover teasingly. "I've decided on the gardening club."

"...Gardening? _Seriously_?", asked Nico doubtfully. "Uh. No offense, but... what's it good for?"

"We _can't_ learn all plants from all planets in biology and herbiology. Gardening club is to specialize on identifying and caring for plants. The _first_ time we crash-land on a different planet and y'all are hungry, you'll be _grateful_ I was in the gardening club, I tell you."

"Fair point. Very fair point. Who's gonna join the club that makes sure I also get meat?", asked Percy hopefully, looking around. "Because I can not live off of plants."

"We're gonna have to get someone into the archery team for that", offered Nico.

"Good, good", nodded Percy thoughtfully. "Something tells me Annabeth already has it all planned out. She strikes me as the kind of person who... does that."

"Has what planned out?", asked Chris curiously.

"Our team", replied Percy with a grin. "We've decided that we're going to form a team."

"That... is only required at the beginning of the second year though", noted Chris.

"Su—ure. But if we plan ahead now, that's gonna make us more efficient then", offered Percy.

A team usually consisted of about ten people. Starting in their second year, they would be required to work together in such a team, formed on their own account. Because the most important part in their line of work was going to be teamwork and learning how to work together, how to apply each other's skill-sets and be efficient at problem-solving was something that had high priority at the academy. People who think they can do everything alone were not fit for this job.

"I'm getting into navigation myself", offered Chris after a moment.

"Ni—ico. What about you? Be useful", asked Percy, nudging the Plutonian next to him.

"I'm... I was considering getting into magic", replied Nico after a beat.

"Like... card-tricks?", grunted Percy confused, staring at the other.

"No. Matter-manipulation", explained Nico. "But... it's still wildly referred to as magic."

"And you can _do_ that?", gasped Percy out, eyes wide.

"It's something some races, predominantly those from Eris, can do. I... can do a little bit but not much. Maybe I can hone my skills and learn more that way", elaborated Nico tentatively.

"That's cool, man", noted Grover, eyebrows raised.

/break\

"Hey, you're friends with my roommate Annabeth, right? I'm Piper."

"Yeah. Percy. Nice to meet you. So, you're here to join the swim-team too?"

Piper nodded. Her eyes were pink, blue and purple at the moment. They were gorgeous. The natural shapeshifting ability of a Venusian. They couldn't _fully_ shapeshift into, say, a cat or a dog. But as long as the base-form was humanoid, everything was game. In the past four days, Percy had seen Silena with five different hair-colors – blonde, brunette, black, red and currently neon-pink.

"Hello, guys. I'm Silena Beauregard, second year and current captain of the swim team. For introductions, we're going to have a little race. Five laps in the pool."

Silena clapped once and all first years lined up before jumping into the pool. Percy closed his eyes as the water enveloped him. It always made him feel serene to be in the water. Swimming was something he could do on autopilot, it was the most natural thing. When he broke the surface next, he was surprised to see the rest of the newbies at least half a lane behind him.

"That... was very impressive, Percy", noted Silena, looking just as surprised.

It wasn't that Percy didn't know he was fast; he had always been fast. But this school? It was filled with the best of the best. He had never been under any illusion that he'd even make the top ten swimmers at this school. Not with so many people with clear physical advantages over him.

"Okay, you gotta tell me where you're from", panted Piper breathlessly. "I used fins and gills and you beat me by five seconds. That's insane."

"I'm just... human. There's nothing... special about me, or my heritage", offered Percy softly.

"Well, that ain't right", countered Piper. "You're _definitely_ special."

Percy grinned and ducked his head at that, before Silena had them all line up again. Special, huh?

/break\

Nico was trying very hard not to be special. Sure, him and Bianca were the only Plutonians at the school so that set him apart quite some – even among a bit over four hundred students, they were the only Plutonians. But that was it. He couldn't _afford_ to draw more attention to himself. Still, Percy had been so _enthusiastic_ about them becoming a team and having specializations, he had kind of slipped. He hoped he could somehow... cover it up. It was public knowledge on Pluto, maybe not on Earth though, that the royal family had matter manipulating powers.

He took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. All he saw was his father's face looking back at him. They had always looked similar, his mom had said it was because they had the same sharp cheekbones and charming, dark eyes. He closed those eyes and took another deep breath. He _missed them_, he missed them so much. He missed Pluto so much. Earth was so different, so strange, he was so tired of being treated like an outsider for his wings and 'weird' eyes. With every day, his memories seemed to fade more. All he wanted was to get back to Pluto, get back to his parents.

He knew though. He knew that this school was his _only_ hope of getting back home. To get back home and _change_ something. His knuckles turned white as he clawed at the sink.

"Dude? You okay in there? Because I'd like to get ready for bed too any time soon."

Jason knocked on the door. Nico took another couple of breaths before he unlocked their bathroom door and let the other alpha into the bathroom. The blonde gave him a curious look as he passed him and Nico forced a smile. He... liked Jason. The guy seemed alright. But making friends was not what he was supposed to – was not what he had _wanted_ to do. Because letting people other than his moms and Bianca in meant actively lying to people. How could he get close to them and still lie to them? It had been easy the first time around, when he had _just_ met Percy. Now, however? It had been five days since he had met them and he was growing attached to them and lying to them made him feel _bad_. Because they were being honest with him. Jason had told him about his absent Jovian father, his mother's drinking that had only gotten better after she met Jason's stepdad. How Jason's father was a big-shot general and Jason wanted to be _better_ than him.

How could Nico look him in the eyes and lie about how his moms were just normal middle-class immigrants from Pluto, how Nico just wanted to go and be able to visit Pluto. Sighing softly to himself, Nico collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He knew he could never tell them the truth and get any of his new friends dragged into his mess. He _couldn't_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have officially entered the part of the fic where we'll branch out into other POVs; I've never been one to only write from one POV. But the introductions felt important to all focus on Percy. Now that we're a bit more settled, let's dive into the others. And next chapter, we're gonna dive into history class - specifically, the history of Pluto. ;)


	4. The Big Three

_Chapter 4: The Big Three_

"Hey. Hello. We're finally having a non-exhausting class together."

Nico turned, very slowly. Of course did he have to have Plutonian History with Percy Jackson, of all people. And... oh great. Jason, Reyna and Annabeth too. Nico forced a smile. He would have liked to take this class in relative anonymity. He stood out, as the only Plutonian, sure, but why did the few friends he had made have to be here too? That was going to make lying and sitting through this class so much harder. Percy happily took the seat on one side of Nico, while Jason took Nico's other. The girls took the seats behind them, next to a redhead.

"Hey, I'm Rachel. Terran. I'm still... settling in here... This place is _a lot_."

"It really is", agreed Annabeth with a slight smile. "Good to meet you, Rachel. I'm Annabeth, Palladian. Percy over there is Terran too."

Percy, Jason and Reyna turned toward the redhead and started talking to her, while Nico flipped through his history book. Better safe than sound. It would not do him good if it was up to date and featured images of the current royal family. Thankfully the most current picture in it was of the king and queen at their coronation. Nico couldn't help but keep staring at it.

"Wow. He's handsome", commented Percy. "Who are they? And why doesn't she have wings?"

"That's...", started Nico and swallowed hard. "King Hades and Queen Persephone of Pluto. The queen isn't Plutonian. She was born on Ceres, daughter of Queen Demeter."

"Cool", whispered Percy in awe. "Heh. Figures you'd know your royal family."

"Did you ever meet them?", asked Jason curiously.

"Don't be an idiot, Jason. How was a kid supposed to meet the royal family?", sighed Reyna.

"Besides, Nico went off-planet when he was ten", offered Percy amused. "Very few children just... happen to run into royalty, Jason. Or have you met the President of the United States yet?"

"...I mean no", grumbled Jason and sunk lower in his chair.

They were interrupted by the teacher entering. Oh. That was Percy's father, Nico recognized him from their moving day. Immediately, Nico straightened up a little, looking over at Percy.

"Welcome to Plutonian History. I'm Professor Blofis. As you may or may not know, there are fifteen history courses on your schedule, throughout the three years of your education. Five courses are to be taken each year. It is generally advised to take two courses in the summer semester and one in the winter semester. Some people like to double down on it, to have a freer schedule toward graduation, by taking two history courses each semester. These things are going to be your choice starting next semester; there _is_ a guideline you can orient yourself by if you are unsure, but many things, aside from the main courses, will be yours to put together. Any questions?"

"Why are there fifteen history classes?"

"One for each planetary object in our solar system", replied Paul. "Can someone help out? Yes, the brilliant looking, handsome, young man in the front row with whom I have no relations?"

"...Thanks, dad, very subtle", muttered Percy and rolled his eyes. "Sun, Mercury, Venus, Terra, Mars, Vesta, Bellona, Pallas, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. The concept of what makes a planet has been vastly changed in the past decades and came to include some that were formally considered asteroids and dwarf planets. Our sun, as an inhabited star, is also included in the lineup of 'planetary objects' whose history is important for us to learn."

"Very well, Percy", praised Paul pleased. "Yes. Those will the history courses you will have to choose from. You kids got Pluto in your first semester though for... current reasons."

"What does that even mean?", asked Jason confused.

"He means the war", whispered Nico lowly, eyes dark and angry.

"War? What war?", asked Percy, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"We usually start our history classes at the beginning, not the end, Mister di Angelo. But yes, the current war is the reason we're making our first semesters take history of Pluto and Saturn."

There was murmuring and Nico averted his eyes. He had his hands folded in front himself, staring at them. Better get this over with right now, he supposed... Still, he stiffened as he watched.

"Before we go back to ancient civilizations and cultures on Pluto, we can very quickly address the bigger picture of today. The war between Pluto and Saturn", sighed Paul. "Pluto is most known for its riches, it is the wealthiest planet in our solar system. Precious metals and gems beyond your imagination and our world's capacity. Saturn has waged war with the Big Three for centuries-"

"The... The Big Three, sir?", interrupted someone in a small voice.

"Ah. Who can name and explain the Big Three?", asked Paul with a smile. "Yes, Miss...?"

"Annabeth Chase, sir", replied Annabeth. "The Big Three is the nickname earned to Pluto, Jupiter and Neptune, as the most influential planets in our solar system. Over millennia, Jupiter has colonized planets such as Mercury, Mars and Pallas. It is the greatest military force. Pluto, as you said, has the greatest riches, trade with Pluto is incredibly important, even for Jupiter – without the precious metals only found on Pluto, Jupiter couldn't forge the weapons and ships they need to explore and colonize the solar system."

"Ah, yes, you're getting very ahead of ourselves here. Colonization of other planets and the inter-mingling of Jovian culture with the native cultures of the planets is... for a later date", interrupted Paul, lifting his hands up. "Yes, Jupiter military forces, Pluto riches and Neptune...? Percy?"

"Uhm...", offered Percy tentatively for a moment.

"Food", supplied Nico when Percy seemed stuck. "Jupiter's pretty much a wasteland, it's why they went to colonize other planets. By now, they have imported many durable plants and life-forms from all over the solar system, but there was... not much there to begin with. Same goes for Pluto; it was a dead planet. Stone and metal, not many living creatures. Jupiter is military, Pluto is riches and Neptune is _life_. Beneath the ice surface lays the largest intra-connected ocean in this entire solar-system. Underwater domes and cities, lush and thriving plant-life and large, providing creatures. Neptune is the greatest food-exporter, closely followed by Ceres in recent years."

"Very, very good, Mister di Angelo", praised Paul. "Yes, Neptune is well-known for its lush flora and fauna and, even more so, its _adaptability_. Most plants are very... needy. Even on our planet alone, finding the right condition for some plants from our own planet is hard. Both air and soil from each planet is very distinct and exporting plants and wild-life is not just tricky and extremely expensive – to artificially create the environment they need. However, Neptune is _adaptable_. Its plants and wild-life can easily be integrated into other planets and especially for Pluto and Jupiter, it became incredibly important in sustaining them and helping them expand."

"Uhm, question, teach", hummed Percy and lifted one hand. "I just... Then why do most keep going 'ew' about Neptunian food at the cafeteria? If it's so practical and adaptable."

"We're talking about a planet three times the size of Earth, with so much depths below the surface. The few specialties we offer here are very specifically _Neptunian specialties_. Not the broader, more widely consumed foods – though those, we also have", explained Paul patiently. "Many of the other meals prepared as signature dishes from other planets are actually based on food from Neptune."

"That Bellonean dish you tried at lunch yesterday, the meat in it is from a Neptunian squid that had been brought to Bellona centuries ago", offered Reyna softly.

"...Huh", whispered Percy surprised, leaning back some.

"Especially during times of drought and natural disasters, imports from Neptune are vital for _all_ planets", offered Paul. "Now that we have some facts on the Big Three, let's get back on topic, shall we?" He went to the board and drew a triangle, writing the names of the Big Three in the corners of it. "The dynamic between these three planets has been the corner of our solar system for millennia. They are, however, not the only big, or important, planets in our solar system. One of them is Saturn, ruled by King Kronos. For millennia, he has been at war with the Big Three. It's been a cold war for... centuries now, we will get into all these details over the following weeks. The important thing right now is that... two decades ago, King Kronos started targeting Pluto specifically. Without the money, there would be no more weapon-supply for the other planets."

"Sir, a question!"

"Yes...?", drawled Paul, motioning at the teen.

"Mike Kahale, sir. I'm just wondering, wouldn't it be strategically more practical to go after Neptune then? I mean, if it's the planet supplying food the most?"

"Pluto is the one with the weakest defense", offered Paul, adding some data to the three names. "Jupiter has a total of sixty-nine moons. Moons are most of the time a line of defense for a planet. Neptune has fourteen moons. Pluto however, not only is the smallest in size of the three, and thus also has the smallest number of population, it also only has five moons. Can someone name them?"

"Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra", offered Calypso.

"Very good, Miss Nightshade. As you all know, what we today consider Graeco-Roman mythology is vastly based on primitive first contact with extraterrestrial life-forms. Now, does anyone know the significance of these five moons, or can guess them?", asked Paul while taking notes.

"Well, you said it's defense, right. And Kerberos is like... the big guard-dog of Hades in the myths?", guessed Jason. "But isn't one of these a... river... and the other a... ferryman?"

"The ferryman is a metaphor. Pluto's largest intergalactic harbor is on Charon", explained Nico with a sigh. "Both Styx and Hydra are names of Plutonian military forces. Like your special ops or whatever. And Nix is... she's the goddess of the night for a reason; it's just the same like naming your moon Selene after a moon goddess, but it's also a military base."

"Very good. You do know a lot about your home-planet", smiled Paul.

"Uh, well, my... moms taught me and my siblings", shrugged Nico awkwardly.

"Well, as you can see, strategically, attacking the smallest planet with the least defense does make more sense, doesn't it?", offered Paul. "Due to its natural riches, poverty had always been low. Unlike Jupiter, they had never channeled their wealth into conquest – there are some colonies on formerly uninhabited asteroids. Can someone name them? Yes, Mister Pace?"

"Proserpina and Parthenope. Proserpina is named after the first queen of Pluto, its current regent is the firstborn son of King Hades and Queen Persephone; crown-prince Zagraeus. Parthenope is the place where the myth of who we we refer to as Sirens originate from. The second-born children of King Hades and Queen Persephone are the current regents, Princess Melinoe and Princess Makaria, twins ruling side by side."

"...Very good, Mister Pace", agreed Paul slowly, looking surprised.

Nico sank lower in his seat, frowning sadly as he thought of Zagraeus, Melinoe and Makaria.

"While we're at it, let's address the royal family", stated Paul, clearing his throat and pulling up a hologram. "King Hades the Twelfth is the current ruler of Pluto, his wife Queen Persephone was born the princess of Ceres, daughter to Queen Demeter from her first marriage. They have six heirs, Zagraeus, Makaria, Melinoe, Blanche, Nicodemos and the youngest, Hazelina."

Nico bit his lips. Blanche? Really? That was the translation they went with for Bianca's name? He could only imagine the offended face she must have made when she sat in this class. Well, the Plutonian language was very different from Earth's English, the actual phonemes used to pronounce their names didn't even _exist_ for the human tongue. At least Nicodemos and Hazelina were... close enough, though Bianca had chosen, well, _Bianca_ as the Earthly equivalent to her name.

"What's with the other three royals, sir?", asked Annabeth. "Do they rule asteroids too? Or moons?"

"No. They've been... victims of the war", stated Paul in a solemn voice. "According to official records, at least. The war has been very... rough in the past two decades."

Nico averted his eyes and took a deep, slow breath, tuning out the teacher as he was assaulted by memories, faint and horrible. He gritted his teeth, fingers clawed into his pants.

/flashback\

"I love you so much, my little prince", whispered the queen, her voice tight and thin.

She cupped Nico's cheek with both hands and pressed a kiss to his forehead and nose. Nico was sobbing, cheeks smeared with tears, snot running down his nose as he tried to cling onto her. His dad was behind them, hugging Bianca tightly.

"I don't wanna go, mommy, please, please I don't want to go", pleaded Nico.

"I'm so sorry, my little prince, but you and your sisters, you are no longer safe here. I need you to go with your nannies, they will bring you to safety", urged Persephone on, hugging him.

"I don't wanna go", whimpered Nico, sniffling hard.

"Son", whispered Hades, voice soft but firm as he knelt down next to him. "We don't want you to go either, but we _need_ you to be safe. Know that your mother and I _love you_ and we're only doing this to protect you. Be brave, and follow whatever your nannies tell you."

"I _promise_, we're going to bring you back home as soon as it's safe. We love you."

He turned to look at Rosemarie and Mariabella, their nannies. Maria was holding Bianca's hand, while Marie had Hazel shouldered. Both looked at him expectantly and sadly.

"Please, keep my children safe, I'm trusting you with a part of my heart", pleaded Persephone.

Maria and Marie nodded at her, trying to pry Nico away from them. "Please, young prince, it's time, we have to leave, we have to keep you safe, we have to take you away..."

/flashback|end\

"Nico. Nico, I need you to focus on me. Can you do that? Look at me? You're safe. You're on Earth, you're at Chiron Academy. Take a deep breath for me and hold it. Nico? Nico, breath in."

Nico blinked, but everything was unfocused, he saw Percy but also didn't see him, everything around him looked like Pluto, blasted and burning. Percy's eyes were like emeralds, sparkling in the sea of devastation. Nico tried to obey, taking a deep, shaky breath.

"Good. Very good. Hold it. And now out, slowly", instructed Percy. "Wait, pause. And now breath in again. You have to slow down your breathing, so hold it again. Good."

His vision came more into focus again as he slowed his breathing down to match Percy's instructions. "You're doing great, Nico. Can you name five things you're seeing, Nico?"

"Your eyes", blurted Nico out, blinking slowly.

"Okay. Sure. That's one. Give me four other things?"

"The... the blackboard", whispered Nico, concentrating hard. "The... desk. The chair. The window."

"Good, you're doing great, Nico. Now breath again?", requested Percy, his voice gentle.

Slowly, Nico came back to it. He blinked and looked around, realizing he was in the classroom still. But it were only Nico and Percy, no one else was in the room. Frowning, Nico leaned back. He rested his head against the wall and took a deep breath, sighing. He felt so drained.

"W... Where is everyone?", asked Nico hoarsely.

"You had a panic-attack. I told dad to send everyone else out, figured you don't need an audience."

"...Thank you", whispered Nico surprised, looking at Percy. "How... How did you know...?"

"I've been getting panic-attacks for... a couple years myself", shrugged Percy.

He sat opposite Nico, with his back leaning against the teacher's desk, legs pulled up against his chest, arms wrapped around them. Nico wanted to ask, but he didn't want to pressure Percy. They barely met a week ago, after all. This was surely too personal to share-

"My fist stepfather was abusive", continued Percy after a moment. "It's okay. I can... talk about it. I mean, you know... a little. It's just, there's certain things that give me flashbacks and make me have panic-attacks. Mom learned how to deal with one, how to help me, so... I know too."

"Everybody saw me break down in class on our second week, huh", muttered Nico.

"You... had a PTSD flashback, Nico. You got out of an active war-zone, as a small child, so having a flashback when it's being discussed like this... there's nothing you gotta be embarrassed about, Nico", whispered Percy gently, reaching out to nudge his ankle.

Knocking at the door disturbed the moment. "Hey, Percy? How is it going in here?"

"You can come in, dad", called Percy out. "Did... everyone else leave?"

"Yes. I sent everyone else off for the day", replied Paul as he re-entered. "How are you feeling, Nico? I'm... sorry. I didn't think ti would have this kind of effect on you. I'll give you a written note to excuse you from class for the next two weeks, while we'll... dive more into this, so you'll rejoin when we go back to archaic Plutonian history, does that sound okay?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Mister Blofis", whispered Nico, nodding sharply.

"I don't think you should be alone right now. What do you think?", asked Paul concerned.

Nico's eyes immediately landed on Percy, but that was asking too much, right? Percy smiled at him.

"I could stay with you, if you want? We could go get some comfort food? No, wait, I have-"

"I'll excuse you with your teacher, Percy. This one is on me, I'm taking responsibility."

"Thanks, dad. You're the best. C'mon, Nico. Let's get you to your room, mh?"

Nico looked at Percy in awe. This boy was amazing and he _knew_ they were going to be good friends. Maybe best friends. He shouldn't get attached, he _knew_ he shouldn't but how could he not?

/break\

"Hey there, little brother. You missed dinner so I bring to you – Neptunian pizza", declared Bianca lightly as she barreled into the room, just to pause. "What bit you? You look like a ghost."

"I had a flashback during history class today", replied Nico, curled together in the corner of his bed.

Percy had brought him here, they had shared lunch, just... sitting in silence. Percy being a warm company that made him feel not alone, but after having missed one class, Nico insisted Percy should go and that Nico was going to be fine on his own. Also, he really needed some alone time to digest the situation for himself. Slowly, Bianca lowered the pizza, a serious look on her face.

"Oh, Nico", whispered Bianca, voice soft and concerned as she sat down next to him.

She immediately pulled Nico into a tight hug, wrapping her large, warm wings around him in comfort and without meaning to, Nico started crying, clinging onto her. "I... I try not to think of them and sometimes, I feel like I'm forgetting mamma's face, but it was all _so clear_. How small Hazel was back then, how we all... how we left them... I... I... I miss them, Bianca..."

"I know, Nico", whispered Bianca gently. "I miss them too. But this is... We're safe here. All they wanted for us was to be safe. Moms are keeping us safe here."

She smoothed down his curls, clinging onto him tightly. Slowly, Nico's sobbing ceased. Taking a deep breath, Nico leaned back and closed his eyes. Bianca reached out and started to card her fingers through Nico's feathers. Grooming. It was soothing, relaxing – it was grounding.

"How... How did you handle it?", asked Bianca concerned.

"Percy, he... he knew how to deal with it? He told his dad – the teacher – to get everyone else out of the room and he helped calm me down again. Teacher said I'm excused from class for this... topic... and he sent Percy with me to keep an eye on me. It... helped", muttered Nico.

He reached out for the pizza and took a piece. He _loved_ Neptunian food above all else. There was little culinary culture to Pluto, at least little with spicy taste; most had come from food sources imported from Neptune. Eating Neptunian food felt like home, reminded him of the palace, of their parents... of what it was like to be the prince of Pluto, happy with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A more serious chapter but one with lots of insight. Also, school classes are a great way to naturally weave exposition into your story! xD And yeah, I figured "mh if everybody learns that the royal siblings' names are Bianca, Nico and Hazel, that'd be... that'd be a tiny bit on the nose" but then I remembered that even among humans, we love to change people's names to fit our own native tongue (just thinking about Nicholas Romanov for the Americans, Nikolaus Romanov for the Germans or his actual name Nikolaj), so with a bit of cultural variety that should be less overly obvious for everyone to figure out ;D
> 
> ALSO a true bonding moment for Nico and Percy. And next chapter, we're gonna make em bond some more! ^-^


	5. I'm Only Human... Aren't I?

_Chapter 5: I'm Only Human... Aren't I?_

Ever since Nico's breakdown in class a couple weeks ago, Percy and Nico had been nearly inseparable. Percy was happy that he was making friends like this – Nico, Grover, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Reyna. He was making real, actual friends, in his first two months at the academy. A part of him had been really worried about that; he had never been quite good at making friends.

"Jason has a date", whispered Nico in a conspiring voice.

The Plutonian had leaned in to whisper into Percy's ear, his breath hot against Percy's skin, his skin radiating heat and Percy felt himself subconsciously leaning closer into it until he could feel the soft brush of Nico's wings against his arms, making him shudder.

"Oh, that explains the weird pacing", giggled Percy amused.

Percy was over at Nico and Jason's room to study, however Jason was being very distracting. The Jovian kept pacing, going back and forth between the mirror in one corner and his closet in the other, lifting shirts to see what they looked like just to throw them away and grumble. It was very confusing and distracting. Though a _date_ did explain that.

"Wait. A date with whom?", asked Percy surprised.

"A Miss Calypso Nightshade", stated Nico, smirk on his lips. "You know what a bad shot Jason is, right? And Calypso offered to teach him. Apparently, arrows weren't the only things flying there."

"...Heh?", grunted Percy confused, blinking a couple times.

"Sparks. There were sparks flying between them. C'mon, I'm trying to be funny here, Perce", huffed Nico with a slight pout. "It was a good pun. Anyway. So the two of them were caught kissing."

Jason was sputtering and blushing, glaring at Nico in betrayal. Percy laughed at them and settled in a bit more comfortably on the bed, lounging a little. He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"So...", drawled Percy awkwardly, turning to look from Jason to Nico and back.

"What's up? Spit it out", nudged Nico.

"What's it like?", asked Percy finally, cheeks red. "Being an alpha, I mean. You officially presented like a week ago. Is it... did it _change_ anything for you...?"

"Mh... I guess", mused Jason and flopped down on his own bed, thoughtful look on his face. "My senses are sharper, especially my sense of smell. Urgh, sharp smells are the worst. But sweet things smell way more appealing to me now? And I'm stronger, like, physically – did a test in the gym, with Hylla and Clarisse. It's all kinda weird, I dunno. Like I gotta adjust to my body...?"

Percy hummed curiously. He had been wondering about it. Piper had presented a couple days ago and she had talked about just how strange but exciting it was and Percy had to admit he was curious. He couldn't really imagine. And the fact that their physical abilities improved too – like Percy wasn't already behind enough. He felt like Hawkeye, trying to keep up with super-soldiers and gods and gamma-monsters while all he could do was shoot pointy sticks.

/break\

"Try this."

Blinking, Percy accepted the blue, apple-sized strawberry and, without even questioning Grover, he bit into it. It tasted kind of like cherries? Licking his lips, he took another bite. This was _good_.

"Okay, I'll bite. Pun intended. What is it and where is it from?", asked Percy, sitting down.

They were in the garden, Grover was working with Juniper and Katie. Grover was working his butt off with his studies, even beyond classes. He wanted to be prepared for when they specialized.

"That's a ptunia berry. It's from Neptune", offered Grover. "It grows in water. Literally, just in water. You put the seed in the water and they grow. They don't need anything else, no ground, no light, nothing. They're very high in nutrition and extremely filling."

"I like them", hummed Percy contently, grabbing a second one.

"I figured. You have a real taste for Neptunian food", chuckled Grover amused. "Uh... Percy, put that third berry down. One berry is like enough for a full meal."

Percy, just having finished the second one, had the third one in hand. Blinking confused, he took another bite. This was yummy and sure, it was filling, but not _that_ filling. Juniper behind him huffed amused and shook her head before she approached and sat down next to Grover.

"I think you should talk to your mom", noted Juniper. "I don't think you're fully human. Maybe you have some ancestry farther up in your family tree, but... the amount of food and the kinds of food that you eat, it's not..." Juniper paused tentatively. "I saw you eat something Plutonian that you should have _definitely_ not been able to eat the other day."

"I got a strong stomach", laughed Percy with a casual shrug.

"No, Juni means you literally should not have been physically able to eat that", pointed Grover out. "Plutonians have steel-like teeth. They can quite literally eat rocks – actually, they do, it's how they survived on their planet before they imported Neptunian plant-life. The thing you ate should have _broken_ off your teeth. It's why Nico made that horrified sound when you stole his food – not because he hates having his food stolen but because he knows humans can't eat that."

"...Oh", whispered Percy. "Uhm... I guess I have good teeth...?"

"Percy. I just want you to maybe reevaluate some things and check in with your mom", whispered Juniper gently, patting him on the thigh. "Grover and I aren't the only ones who think so. Annabeth was the first one who noticed. Piper the second, because of the swim-team. But no one really knows how to approach this so I figured I'd just... put it out there."

Percy just nodded sharply, a little surprised. He knew the others had been giving him odd looks pretty much from the get-go – because of just how much he could eat. How fast he could swim. But he hadn't really thought much of it. Should he...? He was in his fourth month at the academy, he was doing good – even with the things he struggled with, he had built such a support-network that they all helped each other out. Whoever was best in a subject offered help to the others and since everyone had at least something they were particularly good with, it worked out well.

Still, the first semester was going to end soon. Thirty people had already dropped out. None of his friends; and he knew that their support-network was greatly to thank for that because they took care of each other, while it were the stubborn lone-wolves who thought of this as a competition were the ones to drop like flies because it was too much for any one person to handle.

If there was something, anything, coming his way that he didn't anticipate, it may throw him for a loop. He didn't know if he could afford that. He got up and grabbed another berry before leaving.

/break\

"What's wrong with you? You're totally distracted. You're normally better than this."

Nico was straddling Percy's waist, sword to Percy's throat and had a frustrated Percy pinned beneath him. Putting the sword down, Nico leaned back (and tried not to think about how _good_ Percy looked, sweaty and pinned beneath him). Nico's hormones were all over the place lately, he knew he was going to present soon – he was already annoyed enough that Jason had presented before him.

"I... talked to Juniper and Grover the other day about something and it's just... I can't shake it but I feel like I can't do it either", muttered Percy annoyed as he sat up.

Nico frowned confused and got them both cool water-bottles before the two sat down together under the apple-tree. Percy really looked frustrated as he sat hunched over, running his fingers through sweat-soaked hair. It made Nico gulp hard because Percy looked _way_ too attractive.

"That... What does that mean, Perce?", asked Nico softly when he sat down with Percy.

"They said that I should talk to my mom about my... uh... well, heritage, I guess? That I may not be the one hundred percent human that I thought I was", whispered Percy.

Nico nodded slowly, until Percy gave him a 'you too, huh?' look. "We... talked about this and about how to tell you, yeah. I mean, you _had_ to have noticed it yourself by now and we figured there may be a reason you're ignoring it so we didn't want to push, but... yeah."

Silence settled between them, Percy balancing the water-bottle on his wrist in a way that Nico knew he couldn't pull off but Percy made it look effortless. Part of his ADHD, the boy was constantly fidgeting with something and somehow he was _really_ good at it. It was fascinating to watch.

"You wanna tell me why you don't talk to your mom about it?", asked Nico softly.

"I don't think it's mom's side of the family", admitted Percy. "I mean, it can't be. I know all about my grandparents and my mom's grandparents. And it wouldn't... it wouldn't skip _that_ many generations to manifest in me then, that's not how this works. So it... has to be my father."

"You... never talk about your biological father", whispered Nico unsure.

Mister Blofis? All the time. The two of them were adorable together, teasing each other during class with quips, Paul regularly checking in with Percy and Percy seeking him out for help occasionally. Percy's first stepfather? While not many details, they had talked about it a couple times now, about the abuse Percy's been through. When they talked about the war and Nico's PTSD too. But never before had Percy mentioned his biological father at all. This was uncharted territory. Had he been abusive too, like the first stepfather? Or had he died, was that it? Or was he just a deadbeat? Nico had no idea what kind of approach he needed to take here.

"Because I have nothing to talk about", replied Percy. "I... don't know anything about him. Not even his last name. His name was Don... and that's it. Mom met him one summer, it was a summer-fling and they never saw each other again. Mom doesn't like talking about it either, I think she feels guilty about it, thinks that she should have done things differently back then."

"So you're ignoring it because there's nothing you can do about it anyway", guessed Nico.

"Exactly", sighed Percy, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Don's not exactly a rare name. Got nothing else to go by so I can't track him down and ask him questions either. And mom knows nothing. So... I really don't... I have no way of doing anything."

"I'm sorry, for what it's worth", whispered Nico and leaned against Percy.

He wrapped a comforting wing around Percy, not knowing what else to do. Percy sighed contently and reached out to run his fingers through soft, black feathers, doing that little purring sound that Nico loved so much, the one that showed Percy was feeling content.

/break\

"Look, Percy. We have officially moved in."

"I thought you moved in like three months ago", pointed Percy out confused.

"Yes, but it turns out we hadn't unpacked everything until today", sighed Paul amused.

Sally all the while looked very proud as she led Percy in. The two had moved into one of the on-campus apartments. It saved Paul a lot of time and it meant Percy could see his mom more regularly, which he was really grateful for. Sally had gotten a new job too, was now also working for the school – running the campus kiosk. Candies (very important), sandwiches, newspapers and stuff. The person who had been running it before, Mellie Hedge, was very highly pregnant and they had been looking for someone for a while now. When Sally and Paul had gone to dinner at the principal's, apparently a thing that staff did regularly, Sally and Mellie had talked and Sally had been excited about the idea because her old work-place was farther away, the drive now longer due to the move. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

"I gotta head to class. You didn't want anything from me, right?", asked Paul, worried for a moment.

"Nope. I just came to talk to my mom", assured Percy. "Have fun."

He waved at his stepfather and, once the door closed behind him, Percy went to the kitchen. His mom followed him, chatting about work and how lovely Annabeth and Piper were (she was _such_ a big fan of Percy having friends, and such lovely girl friends especially. It showed that Sally always wanted a daughter. Not instead of Percy, but alongside Percy. Maybe, if things had gone differently, but Gabe had stolen her best years...). Percy cleared his throat when she paused.

"I... wanted to talk to you about something", whispered Percy unsure, voice wavering.

"W... What's wrong?", asked Sally concerned. "You sound troubled, Percy? Is everything okay?"

"The academy is pushing me... a lot", started Percy slowly, having prepared his words well. "Physically. And I... seem to exceed what the regular human body is capable of in certain aspects and with the added exercise and exhaustion, my food-intake has increased too. To a... not quite human level, at least not for my weight. My metabolism isn't really human, mom. I know you always joked, when I was a child, that I burned it all right away, but it's been... getting worse."

"What... are you saying, Percy?", wanted Sally to know, frown in place.

"I think... and I've been thinking this for a while now, but now my friends brought it up and I know there's not much you can do, or tell me, but... I still wanna talk to you about it", continued Percy, fidgeting with his shirt nervously. "I think I'm not human. I think my... father... wasn't human."

Silence filled the room as Percy gave his mom the chance to think about what to say.

"I can't tell", admitted Sally after a long moment, averting her eyes. "It was a wild summer. I was young and it was supposed to be my last summer before college, I didn't want to grow attached, I didn't want a relationship. He didn't want it either. He was married – separated. That was about as much as we talked about. He and his wife were separated and he had come to Montauk to escape for a while. We... never even exchanged last names, never talked about where we were from. It was just this one, magical summer and it was supposed to stay that. I never..."

"Planned on getting pregnant, yeah I know that", huffed Percy with a small, sad smile.

"You weren't planned, but you do know that you're _the_ best thing that ever happened to me, right?", asked Sally seriously, grasping his face and kissing his forehead. "I love you with my whole heart."

"I know, mom", assured Percy amused, hugging her. "I just... do you know _anything_ about him?"

"He had appetite. You say your metabolism is higher and... I gotta admit, he _really_ could eat a lot", mused Sally, leading the way for the two of them to comfortable setting in on the couch in the living room. "You look just like him, you know. I mean, of course you do. I'm a blue-eyed brunette. You... you have your father's eyes and hair. His was as black and silky as yours. Though his eyes, they were... like they were moving? Like actual waves. Sea-green, shimmering between blue and green. Yours are mostly green. Beautiful, but... slightly different from your father's."

"And... you said... he had a... a wife", asked Percy carefully.

"We didn't talk about her. He just said, that she needed a break, that they had agreed on taking a break from each other. But I could see it in his eyes, that as soon as she'd give him a second chance, he would try to win her back. He loved her. I didn't hold that against him. A part of me always hoped that he managed to rekindle things, be happy with her", replied Sally. "But I don't know her name either, didn't want to know. Didn't want to know about his _life_."

The thing was that Percy understood it. She had been young and had wanted an adventure and she had gotten it. Percy was... the unexpected consequences of that adventure. Still, if things had been different, Percy could have a father in his life and could have some _answers_ now.

/break\

"She is so... _everything_", sighed Chris in a dreamy voice, leaning against Percy. "Look."

"Yeah no, Clarisse is not really my type", chuckled Percy amused, patting his head.

They were in the gym, together with Reyna and Annabeth. And in the gym, they had run into Clarisse and Hylla, who were sparring. Chris' crush on Clarisse was _huge_ and everyone could see it.

"Just ask her out. The drooling is getting gross", stated Annabeth annoyed. "And come at me."

Chris was paired with Annabeth, while Percy was paired with Reyna as they sparred. Only that Chris kept getting distracted by Clarisse's arms and moves. Not that Percy was one to talk; he kept getting distracted by Nico rather frequently these days.

They sparred together for the next twenty or so minutes, seeing Silena Beauregard come in and bring sandwiches to Hylla and Clarisse. Percy watched, from the corner of his eye, how the three women talked, Clarisse not looking too happy and Silena looking pushy (Percy had known her long enough now to know what a pushy Silena looked like). Finally, Annabeth had enough mercy to let them take a break. With his last strength did Percy crawl up to Silena with a sad kitten look.

"Oh, sweetie, I brought you a tuna-sandwich, no need for begging", chuckled Silena fondly. "You too, move over here. I brought enough for everyone. Training is important, but you gotta take in enough nutrition to build the muscles you're working on. And stay hydrated."

With a pointed look did she shove a bottle into Percy's hand. Percy had no complaints, he just smiled pleased and took a large bite from his sandwich. He watched Silena grin and nudge Clarisse.

"So... Chris, what are you doing tonight?", asked Silena with a pleasant smile.

"Uh... not much? Maybe go on a run with Luke and the Stolls?", offered Chris slowly, confused.

"Wonderful. Cancel those plans. You, me, Charlie and Clarisse are going out then", stated Silena.

Chris raised both eyebrows and looked from Silena to Clarisse and back. Cackling softly, Percy leaned forward to steal Chris' sandwich while he was too distracted staring at Clarisse's blush.

"A date. Double-date. If you want", grunted Clarisse gruffly, not looking at Chris. "Hylla was supposed to come with us, it's a movie. That new _Fast and Furious_ thing."

"Bu—ut I'm busy. So Silena suggested to ask _you_", continued Hylla with a smirk.

"Never pecked you for someone to watch _Fast and Furious_", noted Percy, looking at Silena.

"Oh, sweetie. Have you seen Dwayne Johnson?", asked Silena with a pointed look.

"...You know what, that is a very fair and very fine point", agreed Percy amused.

"Rodriguez, will you just say yes, before Clarisse's stare becomes even more intense?", asked Annabeth very annoyed, throwing a piece of bread at him. "I swear, you're worse than Piper."

"Piper? What juicy romantic gossip am I missing out here?", asked Silena and perked up.

"Piper has the biggest crush on Nyssa Barrera, the Vestan we got math and workshop with", offered Annabeth. "I swear the way she fans herself when she sees Nyssa's arms is ridiculous."

"Vestan. Workshop. Arms", echoed Percy and narrowed his eyes before smirking like a shark.

"What is that thing your face is doing there? It's kind of scary", asked Reyna slowly.

"Well, we're still missing at least one mechanic in our team. If Piper can seduce herself a mechanic to join our team, that would be very, very beneficial for everyone", smirked Percy.

"...Sometimes, your goofball exterior fools me into forgetting that you are... a natural leader", noted Annabeth. "You got great team-building instincts. You'll make a great captain one day."

Percy choked on Chris' cucumber sandwich at that. Him? A captain? No. He wasn't captain material. He just wanted to explore, he hoped he'd get a job on a ship and get to roam the universe, but there was no way he was going to get his own ship, be a leader or anything. That wasn't him.

"Man, Grover and Juniper have gone on their first date last week too. Is it like... mating season?", asked Percy to change the topic. "...Wait, that's not actually a thing, right?"

"Only in the sense that it's spring and the birds and flowers and sunshine are setting a certain, romantic mood", chuckled Silena amused, winking at Percy. "It's a romantic season and the first semester is nearly over, in the past four months, everyone actually got to know each other, formed bonds. Not just friendships but also _romantic_ bonds."

Percy hummed, eyes drawn to the door as it opened and Jason and Nico walked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always in my mortal AUs, I prefer there to be no blame and no cheating. Poseidon and Amphitrite were on a break, Sally was aware of that and well... things didn't go as planned. It's basically Grease but if Sandy had gotten pregnant and they really never saw each other again after that one magical summer.
> 
> Nooow, next chapter, Percy is going to be confronted with the truth about his origins and it's not going to happen the way any of us (including me :D") would have expected! xD


	6. The Princess of Neptune

_Chapter 6: The Princess of Neptune_

"I'm so proud of you. I mean, I always knew you would be fine. I always said that, right Marie?"

"Always, from day one", assured Marie amused, not looking up from her plate.

Nico was blushing and trying to squirm out of Maria's hands. She was squeezing his face and peppering his cheeks with proud kisses. At home, this would be fine. But in the cafeteria at his school, where he had a reputation to uphold...?

"Maria! Marie! It's so good to see you, ladies!"

Finally, Maria let go of him to instead hug the woman who was approaching them. Jason's parents, his mother Beryl Grace and his stepfather Tristan McLean. Considering that Bianca and Thalia had been friends since basically their first week at the academy, Nico had seen their parents a couple of times already. Beryl was one of their best friends by now. Jason was cackling at Nico.

"You do know that you have a huge lipstick stain on your cheek yourself, right?", asked Nico.

He stared unimpressed, while Jason blushed and started rubbing at his cheek furiously. Jason was closely followed by his sisters, Thalia and Piper arguing among themselves.

"Our boys are roommates", sighed Maria pleased. "Look at them."

Both Nico and Jason rolled their eyes at their moms. Nico smiled faintly as they all sat down together at the table. The exams were over and to celebrate the end of the semester, before the two week break, parents were invited to tour the campus, eat and talk and make connections.

"Hey, guys. Uh. The cafeteria is kinda full, you think we can sit with you?"

Immediately, Nico perked up when Percy and his parents approached them. He quickly pushed Jason out of the way before the blonde could take the seat right next to Nico. Huffing offended, Jason scooted over, allowing Percy to sit with them.

"Oh. You must be the di Angelos", whispered Percy as he looked at Nico's moms. "I'm Percy. Percy Jackson. It's such a pleasure to meet you, ma'ams. Nico talks a lot about you."

"_Percy_", stated Marie and got up, looking him up and down. "_That Percy? The one you talk about nonstop, with the cute smile and them dimples? Oh, I can see that smile_."

Nico groaned and covered his face with his hands, sinking down in his chair more. He had never mentioned having an actual crush on Percy, but apparently every time he talked to his moms about school, he accidentally ended up talking about Percy. Not that he meant to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Percy. Nico told us all about his friends and you seem to be a very important friend to our son", offered Maria with a polite smile.

"And... who's that?", asked Percy curiously when he noted there was one more person.

"Hey, I'm Hazel. The sister, well, the other sister. Younger sister. I'm going to start the academy next year", offered Hazel with a smile, reaching a hand out for Percy to shake.

"Oh, that's cool", grinned Percy as he shook it.

Nico watched with dread how his moms got acquainted with Percy's parents, praying that Marie was not going to expose him and his crush. He awkwardly sank down lower in his chair. Even more so when he noticed just how much Maria kept staring at Percy, very intensely so. Even while the parents talked among themselves – most questions directed toward Paul, since he was a teacher.

"Does... one of your moms not like me much?", asked Percy softly. "She keeps staring at me."

"I... honestly don't know", admitted Nico with a shrug.

"No, sweetie, that's not why I'm staring at you. And I'm sorry, I do know better than to stare."

Feeling caught, Percy turned toward Maria. "Uhm so... what's the staring about then...?"

"It's been a while since I last saw a Neptunian, I suppose it makes me feel nostalgic."

Maria laughed at it, like she was feeling sheepish. However, her laughter and Marie's soft chuckle at it were the only sounds as Bianca, Thalia, Piper and Nico all turned to stare at Percy. Sally nearly dropped her fork at it, before she held onto it more tightly.

"I'm not... I...", started Percy before he faltered. "I'm... Neptunian...?"

"What kind of question is that?", laughed Maria confused, exchanging a look with her wife.

Sally cleared her throat and put her cutlery down. "This is not... necessarily something I discuss with people on the first meeting, but... we don't know about his father's background."

"Oh", whispered Maria as she sobered up. "So you do not know you're Neptunian?"

"I... H... How do you know?", asked Percy and looked up at her.

"Oh, it's all in the eyes", replied Maria with a smile, waving at her own eyes.

Nico frowned confused at that, turning from his mom toward Percy. He knew that Plutonians – aside from their wings – had their eyes. Silver, nearly liquid, irises and black eyeballs. Slowly, Nico leaned in closer to look at Percy's eyes. He knew Percy had pretty eyes, unique eyes, but...

"They move", whispered Nico stunned, jerking back some.

Percy yelped a little when he was gently yanked into the other direction so his mother could look him _closely_ in the eyes. She gasped softly, a nearly vulnerable quality to the look on her face.

"They didn't do that last month", stated Sally quite firmly. "They... how long have they...?"

"I dunno? I don't even know what you guys are talking about. It's not like I spent a lot of time staring into my own eyes. Or having someone else stare into my eyes like that", huffed Percy.

"The color in your eyes, it shifts. Not like Piper's with the rainbow colors and all, but like mine. Like liquid", explained Nico, motioning wildly with his hands. "The blue and the green, they move around and clash, like waves crashing inside of your eyes, making the turquoise of them shift between very dark and very light, very green and very blue. It's like-"

"Like you have the ocean in your eyes", supplied Maria, a patient smile on her lips. "That's it. That's the... most prominent trait about Neptunians, the one you can't hide. They can change their skin, but not their eyes. And while they vary – between green and blue, not everyone has the exact same shade of eyes, naturally – they all look like the ocean captured in an orb."

"Well, that solves _that_ mystery", grunted Jason stunned. "Neptunian, huh."

"Now I feel stupid", sighed Piper and leaned forward. "Like, eighty percent of your diet is Neptunian food. It feels like we should have been able to piece _that_ together ourselves. And the swimming! You got me and _everyone_ else beat at that. Neptunians are the best swimmers in the solar system. That really should have given it away..."

All Nico could focus on was the dazed Percy next to him. Was he going to be okay with all of this?

"Perce?", whispered Nico gently, resting a hand on his arm. "You alright? Do you need a minute? Come on, let's go outside, get some fresh air, mh?"

Percy nodded sharply, blinking rapidly as he let Nico lead him out of the cafeteria building. As soon as they were outside, Percy sank down against a wall, taking shaky breaths and trying to blink away tears, by the look of it. Carefully, Nico knelt down in front of Percy.

"How are you holding up? Need me to get something, or someone?", asked Nico gently.

"No. No, I just... I just need a minute", whispered Percy and closed his eyes.

"Wanna be alone, or is it okay if I sit with you?"

"Stay", requested Percy, his fingers digging into the sleeve of Nico's leather-jacket.

Smiling a little at the action, Nico came to sit down next to Percy. They stayed out there in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, just people watching. Percy's breathing slowed down and he looked more collected after a while. He didn't let go of Nico's wrist though.

"I don't know why I reacted like I just did", muttered Percy, sounding frustrated. "I mean, it's nothing, right? I just... I don't know, my father was always just a name. Just one name and that was it. I used to picture him looking like John Travolta, you know."

"...I'd love to hear that", prodded Nico, grinning amused.

"Just something about the story, how mom told it, I guess", shrugged Percy. "You ever seen _Grease_? It's kind of like that. Was supposed to be just a summer fling, only that my parents didn't magically meet again to live out their epic romance. It stayed a summer fling and the only thing my mom took home from it was, well, _me_. But yeah, that's the picture I always had in my head."

"He was hot in that movie", offered Nico after a moment, making Percy laugh.

Which was at least worth something, right? Carefully, he slipped his hand free from Percy's grasp so he could properly take Percy's hand, linking their fingers. There was a blush on Percy's cheeks, but instead of pulling away, he just closed his eyes and leaned his head against Nico's shoulder.

"At least you now know where you came from. Can prepare for what to expect, for yourself."

/break\

Their second semester was about to start and Nico had a huge problem. Mainly that he was head over heels in love with Percy Jackson, but also that he had a gaggle of friends now. He had been _so_ determined not to make _any_ friends. Sit through the academy to get the qualifications he needed to leave the planet and actually also be _useful_ once he left, not just some spoiled prince who had never seen a day's worth of honest work before in his life.

Instead he was stupidly invested in Jason's love-life – Jason had visited the Nightshade family during their two week break, Calypso officially introducing him to her parents and grandparents. Grandpa Bob was apparently a _huge_ fan of Jason already. He valued Reyna and Annabeth in a similar way that he did with his sisters; the two had become maybe his closest friends here. And even outside of that weird group that was forming around Percy – and yes, definitely around Percy, because he was the one who had orchestrated them to try and gather a team together – Nico had made friends all on his own. Alabaster Torrington, Ethan Nakamura and Will Solace.

Ethan was Terran, while Alabaster was from Eris – the neighboring planet of Pluto. Both were betas, their worlds not having secondary genders. Will however, Will was an omega. Well, so was Annabeth so it wasn't _that_ special – but unlike Annabeth, Will doubled down on the nurturing and fussing side that being an omega occasionally brought with it (Nico could not for the life of him picture Annabeth being _nurturing_). Sometimes, it was a little overbearing. However, Will was also specializing in healing – and _that_ had pleased Percy very much. It was genuinely scary at times how Percy really did plan this whole thing through. A good scary though, because it was working for them. They had created a system, they relied on each other and they got each other through the academy _together_, compared to many others in their year who were struggling.

"What are we even doing here?", groaned Alabaster. "We all got no talent for this anyway."

"That's _exactly_ what we're doing here, babe", pointed Ethan out, nudging his boyfriend softly.

Apparently, the two of them had gotten together over the break. Nico had only been mildly surprised by that; many in their year had started pairing up over the last two months of the first semester. And it made sense, in a way. New environment, new challenges, new friends, all that change made many feel like they needed some _more_ change in their life.

"We're mainly here so Will can drool all over Jake", corrected Nico after a beat.

Will hissed – genuinely hissed; Solarians were very snake-like – and slapped him on the arm. Jake Mason was one of the Vestans, also known as 'top of the class in mechanics'. While Nico, Will, Ethan and Alabaster... sucked at it. Nico wasn't good with technology in general, Will was more into biological life-forms than mechanical ones, Alabaster hated that technology was immune to his magic and Ethan just had two left hands. However, everyone was required to have the most basic know-how to understand the workings of the ship and understand the most common and easily fixable problems themselves; one never knew in what situations they may end up where their mechanic was out of commission or they were stranded on another planet all on their own.

"Hey, you guys. There you are. Okay, so I asked Nyssa and Beckendorf to help out because... I'm not really that good at explaining stuff? You okay with that?"

Will was nodding very wildly, his long, blonde hair bouncing in the little bun he wore it in. Nico snorted amused. At the very least _he_ could control himself around Percy and didn't make that much of a fool of himself... right? Oh gods, he _hoped_ so.

"Wait. Aren't those three the ones who blew up that glider last semester?", asked Nyssa slowly.

"I... I mean... that was... an accident?", offered Nico sheepishly.

Him, Alabaster and Ethan looked appropriately chastised while the three Vestans got everything set up. Nico straightened up. He was ready to get a head-start for this semester. He wanted to do _better_. Less struggle. He wanted to prove something. Prove that he was worthy of being a part of that team Percy was putting together, because it was going to be an excellent team and Nico _wanted_ to be a part of it – together with Percy, Jason, Grover, Reyna, Annabeth, Piper and Rachel.

/break\

Percy sighed softly as he settled into his seat of the one class he cared about the most in his second semester. Even though, at the same time, he also kind of really didn't want to _be_ here. He startled when the seats on either side of him were suddenly being occupied. Turning to one side, he saw Nico and Piper, while on his other side were Grover and Annabeth. They were followed by Jason and Calypso, holding hands as they walked past them to sit in the row behind, together with Juniper, Reyna and Rachel. Percy blinked a couple of times. He had never had a class with _all_ of them.

"W... What are you all doing here?", asked Percy confused. "Didn't you wanna take Saturn this semester, Annabeth? And I _know_ you wanted to take Solarian History, Rach."

"Perce. You just learned that you're half-Neptunian like three weeks ago", offered Grover, nudging Percy a little. "We got your back. We're gonna be here for you while you learn about... yourself. We're ready to learn _with_ you. We all had the privilege of learning about the history of our home-planets and our heritage from our _families_. Not in some classroom, but lived history. And if you can't have that, then you'll at least have us at your side, okay?"

"Like you always say. We're a team", agreed Annabeth, an honest but serious look on her face.

Percy bit his lips to keep from saying anything sappy. He shuffled a little, nudging Grover next to him softly in gratitude. Smiling faintly, Percy felt himself relax a little more.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Miss Rhode, I'll be your teacher for Neptunian History 101."

In came a blonde woman with glasses. She had a sunny smile on her lips as she approached the board and wrote strange letters on it. It took Percy a moment before he realized it must be Neptunian. Perking up a little, Percy grabbed his pen, sure he was going to take a lot of notes.

"Y'all know what qualifies me for this job? Not a trick question, a genuine one."

"You're... Neptunian?", offered Percy carefully after a moment.

He was sitting in the first row, the closest to their teacher. He could see her eyes from this distance – and if that was what his dad's eyes looked like, then Percy started to understand why his mom was so hung-up on them in particular. They were _vibrant_, even without leaning in real close, Percy could see the glowing sea-green. His own were in the middle of changing, supposedly – he was still a couple months off from formally presenting, apparently. But _hers_? That glow.

"Yes, gold-star for the boy in blue", confirmed Miss Rhode with a bright smile. "I'm not just Neptunian though. I'm Princess Rhodessa, fourth born heir of King Poseidon Enosichthon and Queen Amphitrite Cyanopis of Neptune."

There was loud murmuring at that. Percy just stared at her in surprise. He had never met royalty before and now he was supposed to be taught by one? He furrowed his brows a little.

"So what does qualify a princess to be a teacher?", asked Annabeth. "No disrespect intended."

"No, it's a fair question", laughed Miss Rhode. "As I just said, I'm the fifth born. I'm quite far removed from being heir to the throne, I'm not a warrior like my brothers and one of my sisters. I'm a scholar, have always been. Buried in the books, neck deep in the history of my people. I came to Earth for uncle Chiron – Mister Brunner, he was a scholar my parents had hired for me and my siblings to learn about the galaxy when we were little. When I heard he was building a school, I wanted to be a part of it. It felt like something I could genuinely contribute to, much more useful than sitting on a throne and looking pretty."

Percy stared at her in utter fascination. A real princess. For him, who he had grown up on Disney movies, this felt somehow in a very silly way like a fairy tale. And she did give off some major Belle vibes. In that kind and reassuring manner. Percy was looking forward to learning more about his own heritage from her, as jarring as that felt.

"While you're gonna learn most about physiology in your biology classes, one big thing I want to address – and open this class up with – is our natural shapeshifting ability. I know that the majority of you have probably never met a Neptunian before in person; Earth is not necessarily the number one immigration destination for Neptunians. Now, our shapeshifting is different from that of say a Venusian, who can shift into any humanoid race. Neptunians, we look like this, normally." She took a twirl, showing how much she looked like any other human. "_However_, we're natural predators. Maybe the most dangerous ones this solar system has to offer."

Some Martians huffed; their physical strength far outdoing anyone else. But Miss Rhode twirled again and when she faced them once more, she had changed. Her skin was covered in a thin layer of fur – yellow tiger-striped – when she smiled, she bared strong fangs.

"We may not be _the_ fastest, like Mercurians. We may not be _the_ strongest, like Martians. However, we are _both_ land and sea predators. We're the fastest swimmers. We can endure extreme cold, freezing temperatures even. The fur for warmth and speed in water. Our reflexes are top-notch."

Percy would have fallen out of his chair, if not for both Nico and Grover reflexively reaching out for Percy's chair to stop it from falling over backward. Percy _knew_, in theory, about this. Even the fur. But _seeing_ it? Actually seeing it live, like this?

"I'll be able to do that too", whispered Percy, swallowing hard. "Will I?"

"Depends on how much of your heritage comes through", whispered Nico back. "You will be Neptunian to a certain degree. We'll have to wait and see."

"Would I be _yellow_ too?", asked Percy doubtfully. "I don't think that's my color."

"...Really? That's his take-away from this?", grunted Annabeth and shook her head.

"If the first row could maybe tune it down some", requested Miss Rhode, sounding mildly amused.

"Uh... sorry, I... I just freaked out a little bit?", offered Percy sheepishly.

"Oh, no worries. I'm used to shocking poor Terrans", laughed Miss Rhode.

"No. I'm... h... half-Neptunian. I freaked out at the idea of being able to do that _too_."

And that was it. That was actually the first time he had said it aloud. He hadn't put it to words yet, not outside of his own head. But he was. He was half-Neptunian. His eyes widened at the way that had tasted on his tongue. He turned a little when Nico reached out to take his hand and squeeze it.

"Oh! Oh, I didn't know there were any Neptunians in this grade!", exclaimed Miss Rhode excited.

"Neither did we until like three weeks ago", offered Jason nonchalantly.

"...Oh", whispered Miss Rhode, now looking concerned. "Well, if it's like that. If... you want to talk, or have any questions that exceed our curriculum, please know my door's always open, Mister..."

"Jackson. Percy Jackson, ma'am", supplied Percy quickly.

"Percy Jackson", echoed Miss Rhode with a smile. "Well now, let's get started with class."

She turned back to her human-looking form and turned her back on them to continue writing notes on the board as she started talking. The same intro like Paul last semester, really. How Neptune was pulled into the middle of a a war with Saturn, though a cold war for centuries now. Percy eagerly took notes, far more than in any other class, soaking up _everything_ the princess had to offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New semester, new classes! Now let's see how well Percy and his new teacher get along ;)


	7. The Burden of Friendship

_Chapter 7: The Burden of Friendship_

Their second semester was going well so far. It was still new, only two weeks into it so that was maybe not saying too much, but Percy was having a good time. He was glad his friends had decided to sign up for Neptunian History 101 with him, because it made him feel better that he had their support. They had his back, they wanted to know about him and his history too.

Percy still wished he could have learned these things from his family – like all his friends had gotten to learn their planet and race's history and culture from their family – but Percy was grateful that he could learn about it _at all_. He was grateful to Nico's moms for realizing where his roots may lay, otherwise he would still be clueless. This way, he could at least... brace himself.

"There you go. Blueberry tea", stated Miss Rhode as she handed Percy a cup.

Tentatively, Percy had knocked at her office door. He just... He had _too many_ questions, he'd be hijacking the entire class. And she had offered that he could seek her out with any questions he had. So he was now curled together on the couch in her office, drinking soothing tea with his teacher sitting opposite him, smiling at him encouragingly and patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Does... Does it hurt?", asked Percy softly. "I mean, you grow a _tail_ and all the... fur?"

"It... may hurt, the first time around for you, yes", admitted Rhode. "But our bodies are very much _designed_ for this. After the first time, it adjusts to it. It... tickles at best. And you'll get quicker at it too, the more often you do it."

"What... I mean, will I be a tiger too?", asked Percy curiously. "I just, I've never really seen Neptunians before. Only as... background characters in movies and stuff and they never really shift. So... I'm just... I'm wondering what I may look like. Can you... tell, beforehand?"

"No, you can't", replied Rhode and shook her head. "Think of us like... your Terran wild cats. Tigers, lions, panthers, cheetahs, there are _so many_ different species with different patterns. What your fur will look like depends on what region your family originates from. And, aside from pattern, there is also colors. We're... Well, think of us as fishes there. All those bright, colorful fishes Terra has. We're, basically, a combination of both of those and it's hard to tell what you will look like without a track-record of your family's heritage."

"Yeah... that... that's the problem", sighed Percy frustrated and tilted his head.

"May I ask... why?" Rhode's voice was tentative and gentle as she looked at Percy.

"Mom... had no means of contacting my biological father after she found out she was pregnant."

"Oh... Oh, that's...", nodded Rhode in understanding, eyebrows furrowed. "Well, then you will be in for a big surprise once you officially present. But yes, your appearance will then... give you clues about your family. If you'd like, I can then help you maybe... find them."

"What?", asked Percy surprised, looking up.

"Like I said, fur-patterns and colors are giveaways to your cultural heritage, it could narrow down the region where to look for your father and I have what I assume you didn't; contacts to Neptune."

"I... I don't know", whispered Percy after a moment, pulling his legs up.

"That's okay. It's just an offer that you can take me up on or decline. I'm just putting it out there."

"It's just...", started Percy, biting his lips. "Mom says that he's married. Not... Not like _that_. She says they were on a break back then, but mom always hoped he rekindled with his wife. And... I don't know, if I... What if you find him and I would actually get to meet my biological father, just to... stir up long-forgotten problems? Or worse, I meet him and he doesn't want anything to do with me, because he already _has_ a family – a family he actually wanted. I... I don't know how I would be able to deal with that... Look. I never _needed_ a biological father in my life before. All of this, it's messing with my head. I don't need to get my hopes up about some hopeful potential what ifs when the more realistic outcome is that it won't be a happy ending for me. I have my mom and I _have_ a dad and he's all the dad I need. So... I don't... I don't think I want to know."

"That's fair", agreed Rhode, nodding slowly. "I understand your concerns. Sometimes, it's better to not wake sleeping giants, as they like to say. Very well, for now, let's just... focus on you, mh? You still have the option to change your mind at any time."

"Thank you, Miss Rhode", smiled Percy, sipping his tea slowly.

"Of course. I still remember how nervous I was when I was about to present", laughed Rhode. "But I had my whole family, knowing what it was like and being able to support me. While I am sure your parents are doing their best to support you, they don't know what to expect and there are things they won't be able to help you with either."

"What... was it like for you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm the second youngest. I have three older siblings and while Kym had a lot of fun teasing me with horror visions, Triton did his best to reassure me. He's an omega too, just like me. Proteus and Kym are both alphas, you see. So I had my mom and my older brother, who knew exactly what it was like to be an omega and to present and even when I did, I didn't feel embarrassed – urgh, it happened in the middle of summer-camp. But Tri, he had my back, he helped me back to the cabin and informed the leaders and our parents and I was all fine in the end."

"What... What's presenting like, _exactly_?", asked Percy, blushing softly.

"You catch a fever and feel itchy and _irritated_. Oh, the irritation. Short temper, because your body is so very focused on all the changes happening in your body. If... you are attracted to anyone, then you may also feel...", Miss Rhode paused and cleared her throat. "Aroused and experience a higher sex-drive around them. Heat, that is. It's not... like they portray it in porn, I assure you-"

"Yeah, no, I know. They, uh, covered _that_ part in biology class in the first semester", interrupted Percy flustered, ruffling his own hair slowly. "I mean, on a broader, more applicable to most races level, but... I guess I know what a heat is. Though heat's only omegas, right? What if I'm an alpha?"

"You aren't", assured Rhode with a smile.

"...You... sound very sure of that", observed Percy tentatively. "I mean, I know that you can always tell alphas and omegas even before they present – that's how the rooming arrangements worked out, after all. Putting alphas together, omegas together and betas together. But... prior to last semester, no one's ever even questioned that I'm anything but a beta Terran. So... why can you tell?"

"Ah, yes", nodded Rhode with furrowed brows. "The thing is, with some races, you can tell clearly even before presenting, others... you can only tell if you are a part of the same race. I can tell, by the shape of your ears and the wave in your eyes, you know."

"...Oh", whispered Percy and gulped hard. "So I'm an omega then. Okay. G... Good to know."

"It's a lot, I know", chuckled Rhode, voice gentle. "Take it slow. Anything you want to know, come to me and I'm happy to help you as far as I can, okay?"

"Thank you, Miss Rhode", nodded Percy, genuinely relieved.

/break\

Percy yawned and stretched out, feet tucked under Nico's thighs. They were watching a movie together, in Annabeth and Piper's room. Percy, Nico and Jason were sitting with Piper on her bed, while Annabeth, Reyna, Grover and Juniper were sitting on Annabeth's bed. Percy watched the way Annabeth and Reyna, as well as Grover and Juniper, were cuddled together. Annabeth and Reyna were so close, but unlike Grover and Juniper they weren't dating (at least not yet; Percy knew for a fact this was going to happen sooner or later – the two were made for each other! Two badass warrior strategists like them!). Smiling lazily, Percy rested his chin on Nico's shoulder.

"You smell nice, Nico", hummed Percy contently, yawning widely.

"Someone is in dire need of a nap", pointed Nico out amused. "Why so sleepy today?"

"Lo—ong and bo—oring and exha—austing day", sighed Percy, stretching a little.

"It's because you shoulder too much, Jackson", called Reyna out pointedly.

"You are?", asked Nico, sounding concerned as he nudged Percy.

"Well, the swim-team, classes, all the extra training he's putting in, the additional hours he's clocking in at the library – getting a head-start on Neptunian History – then still scouting for our perfect team-lineup. He's been trying to woo Jake and Nyssa into our team too", stated Grover.

Percy heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I just... have a lot to look out for. I mean, our team, there are certain positions we _need_ to fill if we want it to work. We definitely need a medic, a pilot, a navigator and a mechanic. We now got the medic thanks to Nico and we have a good navigator in Rachel, but we have no mechanics and we have no pilot."

"Perce, you're going to drive yourself into the ground if you continue like that", sighed Nico softly.

"I mean, we all agree with you that this is important", assured Annabeth gently. "And we all appreciate how much thought you put into it, but... you need to take a breath. And that's coming from _me_, Percy. You know how seriously I am taking the studies."

Percy ducked his head and turned away a little. Will Solace was going to be their medic. Grover and Juniper had signed up as their nutritionists, who knew their plants and how to cook them. Rachel was a navigator – she had a keen sense of prediction. Reyna and Annabeth were their badass warriors. Chris was a pilot, but he was still insistent that he didn't want to be the _main_ pilot (usually, a ship required more than one pilot). And yes, Percy knew he was obsessing too much over this, but the second semester was halfway over and by the second year, they would have to announce their teams. The thing was, they were only allowed to be around twelve people in a crew. Percy, Will, Grover, Juniper, Rachel, Reyna, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Nico – that were already ten people. Only two more allowed. Admittedly, a crew for an actual ship was larger – _far_ larger if one got assigned a bigger ship. But for the sake of the school-setting, they were supposed to work in teams of twelve. Percy, he just wasn't doing very good with that, because he wanted _all_ his friends to be happy.

"You worry too much about others", whispered Nico fondly. "It's why we think you'd make a great captain, Perce. Because worrying about your team is what makes you a good captain."

Percy was _still_ doubtful about that though. He wasn't leadership material, not in his own eyes.

/break\

Nico was trying to breath deeply. He knew his presentation was coming closer and closer. Scents became sharper and sharper and he was reacting more strongly to Percy in particular – the other day, they had a movie night and he got to cuddle close to Percy and Percy started to smell so good.

"Are you done in the bathroom soon because I want to take a shower?"

"...Go to your own bedroom then", grunted Nico darkly. "You know you're not supposed to stay over, right? We're all students, no sleepovers allowed, Calypso."

"Oh, cheer up. It's not like Jay and I had _sex_", hissed Calypso offended. "We just... studied until late at night and fell asleep curled together. It could happen to you too, if you had a someone."

"...You know what, I suddenly feel like taking a nice, long bath in here", barked Nico out.

He couldn't _have_ a someone. It wasn't like he didn't want someone – Percy, to be very precise – and he knew that Percy liked him too. Well, to some extend, at least. They were friends and they were very close and maybe, if Nico would tell Percy how he felt and if he'd ask Percy out, perhaps Percy would give him a chance. However, that was... not going to happen.

Percy Jackson was pure and good and sweet and kind. Nico could not possibly start a relationship with a lie. He could also not tell Percy that he was a prince though because this was... Nico's burden to carry. Telling Percy the truth would only endanger Percy. Being with Percy would endanger Percy. It was safer if no one knew the truth and if Nico didn't start _dating_. Friends were already more than he had wanted to make here, after all.

"Nico, don't piss off my girlfriend, please", called Jason out, knocking on the door. "C'mon."

Rolling his eyes, Nico unlocked the door and left the bathroom, passing an irritated looking Calypso. Heaving a sigh, Nico collapsed onto his own bed, spreading his arms wide.

"What's wrong with you?", asked Jason, slowly sitting down next to him.

"I'm close to presenting. It has me a little bit... irritated", muttered Nico.

"Yeah, I can tell that much", confirmed Jason amused. "Okay. But that's good though. I mean, if you present soon then you won't do so during exam phase. That'd be a bitch."

"...Yeah it really would be", agreed Nico, huffing out a laugh at that.

"See, I already helped improve your mood", offered Jason with a smile.

"You... did, thanks", smiled Nico with a small sigh. "Help me with another thing?"

"Anything that's on your mind, bro", confirmed Jason.

"How did you handle your sister joining the academy? Not Thalia. I know, older sisters... do whatever they want. But Piper, she's _slightly_ younger than you. You... I mean... don't you... feel protective over her? It's just. Hazel is determined to join the school with the new school year", muttered Nico and rubbed his face. "She's my baby sister and I don't want her to get a dangerous job like this. The academy, it's... leading to space-travel and not the safe kind for tourists."

"Yeah, no, I totally get you", assured Jason with a soft smile, leaning back against the wall. "I felt the same when Piper announced she also wants to join the academy. But if your sister is _anything_ like mine... meaning, headstrong and a badass, then there is _nothing_ you can do about it, aside from support her decision and... try to be there for her when she needs you? But don't be overbearing."

"That's way easier said than done", complained Nico irritated. "I just... I..."

"What is it?", asked Jason, voice gentle as he looked at Nico in concern.

"I already lost two older siblings to the war and I loathe that Bianca joined the academy, but it's for the same reasons I did. But the thought of... of Hazel doing that...", whispered Nico.

"I thought so", sighed Jason, voice dark and sad.

"Mh?", grunted Nico confused, looking up.

"You didn't sign up for the academy to become an explorer in the name of Terra. You did it to get the basic training to become a _soldier_ and... fight in the war on your home planet", whispered Jason. "I've been suspecting that for months, but I kinda hoped I was wrong."

"W... Why...", started Nico, voice breaking.

"You... isolate yourself, Nico. You _try_ to avoid friendships and stuff. You have us, but you only let us in to a certain degree. You avoid talking about yourself and your feelings, you cleverly deflect all the time. I know Percy is the only one you actually _talk_ to about the war and stuff. And even Percy, you're keeping at arm's length. I mean, come on – I asked Cally out, Alabastard managed to ask Ethan out, even Reyna and Annabeth are orbiting ever a little closer. But you are always... taking a step back whenever it looks as though Percy is... taking a step toward you. I was wondering why, I mean I figured it may be like a side-effect of your PTSD or something, but... You're... After your flashback in class, I started thinking that just maybe, you may be planning on going back. The feeling has been growing over the course of the class."

Nico gritted his teeth and turned away from Jason. He honestly hadn't expected the blonde to read him this easily. Or for anyone to figure him out to any capacity. But that was why he hadn't wanted to make friends to begin with, so no one would find him out.

"Yeah", admitted Nico after a moment. "Yeah, I do. It's _my_ war. I have to..."

"You don't _have_ to and it's not _your_ war. You're sixteen, Nico", pointed Jason out. "And your moms did their everything to bring you to safety and away from the war."

Nico huffed, a sad smile on his lips. "I... You wouldn't understand, Jason."

"You're right", agreed Jason. "I wouldn't, I can't _possibly_ understand what it's been like for you, what you may feel like about all of this, what may motivate you. I grew up sheltered and cozy – unlike Thals, I never even experienced the aftereffects of mom's alcoholism. All I remember are my mom being sober and her and dad being loving and doting. I know I grew up sheltered. But... I... I worry about you, man. You're my friend. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Nico stared at him, mouth hanging open just a little bit. Damn it, this was _exactly_ why he wasn't supposed to make friends. He was going to _worry_ people. Get them dragged into his mess of a life. Maybe even endanger them. He heaved a sigh and reluctantly pulled Jason into a hug.

"Holy shit, a di Angelo hug. Did I break you?", gasped Jason surprised.

"Don't ruin it, Grace. This may just be your _only_ one", warned Nico.

"Okay, shutting up and enjoying this unique experience", declared Jason lightly, hugging back.

/break\

"Okay, okay, okay. I admit, you were right, this was a great idea, yeah."

"To—old ya", declared Piper with a broad smirk on her lips.

They were at the lake, to just spend some time together. They had taken all members of the swim-team from their grade – Calypso, Piper, Percy, Ethan, Mike, Drew – and some who had heard 'lake' and immediately decided to tag along, because it was a pretty hot spring day today.

"I may be fire-bound, but I admit, I do enjoy a good soak every now and again", sighed Nyssa.

She was wearing a shirt and shorts, laying down on the blanket right next to Piper and Percy, still dripping from the swim she had taken. Percy smiled as he sat up a little. A day of just relaxing, with absolutely no studying or classes or anything, it _was_ nice. Calypso, Ethan, Mike and Drew were playing water-ball with each other. Admittedly, Percy didn't really like Drew, because she was very arrogant and thought herself to be the fairest of them all, but in the end, she was all bark and no bite and Percy had noticed _that_ pretty quickly, so he stopped worrying about her.

"So, how's it going with Annabeth?", asked Nyssa curiously, looking at Piper.

"...Huh?", asked Piper slowly, trying to pry her eyes away from Nyssa's toned stomach.

She failed. Admittedly, Nyssa _was_ very well-trained, with quite the six-pack and her arms bulged nicely as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Percy grinned amused and rolled his eyes.

"Small-talk, McLean", offered Nyssa with a shrug. "Asking about the girlfriend."

"The what?", asked Piper again.

"Girl-friend", repeated Nyssa slowly. "I mean, you two are basically inseparable."

"Yeah, no. No, I she no. Lesbians and bi girls can be friends without dating!", exclaimed Piper. "We're just friends, nothing else, at all. We're... just... close."

"Mh...", nodded Nyssa, eyes sparkling as she looked at Piper closely. "Interesting."

Percy smirked at that and laid down again, spreading out. He had played some water-ball, ate watermelon and ice-cream, now he got to nap in the sun. Relaxing with his friends was definitely the best. Closing his eyes, he tried to nap for a little while.

"Pipes, can you do a French braid for me?", requested Calypso as she sat down in front of Piper. "You have these magic fingers that do amazing things to hair."

"Of course I can, come right here", declared Piper eagerly, reaching out for the long caramel curls. "You know, I keep pestering Percy about growing his hair out so I can braid that too."

"Never gonna happen, McLean", declared Percy with a shake of his head.

"I don't know, I think it'd look good on you", argued Calypso. "Besides, traditionally, Neptunians are famous for long hair and warrior braids. When a Neptunian warrior finishes their first big mission, they usually stop cutting their hair short. Long hair for warriors, short for academics."

Percy blinked slowly at that. Admittedly, he had noticed that Rhode had very short hair, but he hadn't thought of a cultural element there. Maybe he could reconsider, think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Nico, making something as troublesome as... friends. If that ain't gonna get in the way of his supposed solo gig...? ùû Though! Next chapter, it's time for sooomeone to present! ;D


	8. Blue Kitten Earning His Stripes

_Chapter 8: Blue Kitten Earning His Stripes_

"Nico is... an alpha."

Nyssa blinked a couple times, one eyebrow raised but not looking away from where she was doing Piper's hair. An undercut. Recently, with how much she was running in particular, Piper had wanted shorter hair and for it to be out of the way more. Nyssa had offered, claiming she had been buzzing her siblings' hair for years. Mainly, Piper just had too huge a crush on Nyssa to say no to _that_, even if she would be doing this with elementary school scissors and her eyes closed.

"Yes, you know this", noted Piper dismissively. "Alphas share rooms. Jay and Nico are alphas and share a room. We've told you this like... months ago."

They were in Piper and Annabeth's bedroom, Percy and Piper had been busy discussing plans for the swim-team – Silena was going to be too busy with graduation next year as a third year so she was already prepping Piper and Percy to take over as captain and vice-captain. Sure, that was still nearly half a year away, but they guessed that getting more insight into it all was going to help them when they were actually going to take over. While the two of them talked and Nyssa cut Piper's hair, a small group had gathered on Annabeth's bed to play poker. Annabeth, Reyna, Nico and Jason. Percy had been drifting off repeatedly during the conversation, his eyes tracking the movement of Nico's hands and the way he smiled, how his wings twitched every now and again.

"Yes, I know that. In theory. But I mean...", started Percy softly. "I mean I can _smell it_."

"You what now?", asked Nyssa surprised, looking at him with both eyebrows raised.

"I mean, you smell... very much like... burned firewood, real dark scent, this close to you, I can totally tell that you're an alpha too, but... and no offense there, but Nico smells better."

Nyssa snorted as she put down the buzzer, carefully combing through Piper's hair to see if she had hit the right length everywhere before she sat down to prepare the dye. A bit azure blue for the tips.

"No offense taken", assured Nyssa lightly. "Some like some scents and not others. Besides, the scent of the one we _li—ike_ always smells more... appealing than others."

Nyssa and Piper laughed loudly at just how red Percy's face turned, earning the attention of the other four in the room, the poker round looking at them curiously. Nico's eyes were fixed on Percy.

"We were just talking about how Percy seems close to presenting", offered Piper after a moment. "His sense of smell is picking up. He just said that Nyssa's scent is too burned firewood for him."

"Miss Rhode said you're an omega, right?", asked Jason curiously, sniffing. "Still can't smell you."

"Yep. Omega", nodded Percy. "And... I dunno. It's... slow, she said? Probably because I'm a half-blood. Born to a human mother, in my human skin. Neptunians are usually born under the sea, in their other skin. Shifting into the fur-less humanoid form is something evolutionary they developed after they started space-travel, where they didn't need their protective fur."

"Run the fur by me again", requested Nyssa with a frown. "Didn't take Neptunian 101, but like... _why_ fur if you're water-bound...?"

"Think... Think otters and seals. The fur's for warmth because Neptunian oceans are cold. It's not... It's not cat-fur. We're not actually cat people. Cats are just the... creatures on Earth that we remind humans of, or so Miss Rhode says. Mostly because of the fur and patterns. But we're not cats. We're our own species", explained Percy slowly. "It's an entirely different planet with different rules and conditions. But here on Earth, everyone tries to apply Earth-logic to it, but you shouldn't."

"Mh. Fair enough", nodded Nyssa. "You've really been reading up on this stuff, huh?"

"I mean, it's going to become very important for me very soon. It's... about me."

/break\

It happened fairly unexpected for Nico. They were out at the lake together – Nico, Percy, Jason, Grover, Chris, Connor and through Connor some of the upperclassmen; his brother Travis, Luke and Charles. A boys' day out. Because Hylla and Clarisse had taken Reyna, Annabeth and Piper out for special training, while Silena had taken Juniper, Katie, Rachel and Calypso out shopping. If the girls did stuff without them, then the boys were going out to have fun of their own too.

"It is _so_ good to see you without your boyfriend", grinned Percy teasingly. "He's a buzzkill."

"Only when there are more people involved than him and me", shrugged Luke with a smirk.

"I gotta admit though, he's handy", offered Travis as he shuffled the cards.

They were playing poker on a large blanket, Connor, Travis, Luke, Percy and Chris. It was laid out close to the lake so their conversation carried over even to Nico, Jason, Grover and Charles, who were in the water playing water-ball. It was nice to relax like this, just enjoying the sun and water.

"How is he handy?", called Jason out doubtfully. "He is terrifying and mean."

"He's our navigator", offered Charles amused. "He's pretty good at that."

Nico furrowed his brows, his eyes on Luke. He knew they had their own team, being second years. But he had never really thought much about who had what job on that team. The thing was the rule of thumb was around twelve people per team and everyone chose their own team. That was part of their challenge. Everyone knew roughly what was essential for the team – captain, two pilots, mechanic, medic, someone in charge of food, at least two well-trained fighters. That still left an array of positions to fill. The final exam of the second years was an off-planet team-mission. Nothing dangerous or far away, just a quest to the moon, a bit like Capture the Flag, with all teams being sent out and racing each other to prove how well they worked together and on a mission. The third year then would focus on individuals again, because in the end they weren't being trained to work in these specific self-chosen teams one day, it was simply an exercise for them to learn to play in teams in general and understand how vital team-work was for their line of duty. But in the third year, they had to choose their own path and focus on that, on where the academy was supposed to lead them individually after graduation. What position, what specialization.

"You guys have been working on forming a team already, right?", Luke curiously. "Captain Jackson who doesn't accept the title, gathering his own little crew, mh?"

"We're a pretty solid line-up as it stands right now", confirmed Grover proudly.

"Well, aside from the captain who thinks he's just going to be a soldier", offered Chris and rolled his eyes. "I mean, admittedly I also think he should be a pilot because he has a keen sense for it, but mainly he's been in charge, whether he wants it or not. _He_ recruited me."

"And most of us others", tagged Jason on with a grin. "But yeah. I don't know what it is, but he doesn't... see his own potential, I guess? He thinks he's a cog in the machine."

"He'll come around", assured Nico with a smile.

"...But like... you guys are aware that I am _right here_, yeah?", asked Percy slowly.

He raised his eyebrows and motioned at himself pointedly, while the others laughed. Though Nico's laughter slowly died down as his focus was fixed on what Percy was pointing at. All of Percy. Shirtless, only in his swim-shorts, still a bit of water running down his toned torso from the swim he had taken prior to the game, hair wet but sticking up into all directions because he ran his fingers through it. He was tanned, had been spending a lot of time outside during spring and this early summer, not just with his friends but also to train – to swim. Which also reflected in his abs. So pretty. So strong. A well-fitted mate for the future king of Pluto, surely.

"Woah, Nico. Personal space", grunted Percy startled.

Furrowing his brows, Nico looked around. When had he left the water and gone to the blanket? He sat right next to Percy, _very_ close, sniffing the half-Neptunian's neck pleased. Percy smelt good. Salty, but with a strong hint of strawberries. Yummy.

"Oh. Nico. Nico, I think it's time for you to... leave. Go back, to the infirmary."

Nico glared and snarled as Beckendorf tried to grab him. The other alpha looked very unimpressed by it and took Nico by the biceps, hauling him upright. Luke and Travis all the while had pulled Percy back behind themselves, putting more distance between Nico and them. Again, Nico snarled, his focus on Percy who was being taken away from him, and on the feeling of being held back.

"Dude, you're... presenting", stated Chris slowly, staring curiously at him. "Time to end the party."

/break\

Nico's scent was _overwhelming_. Percy had thought it was a nice, strong scent before, but ever since Nico had officially presented the other week, he was all over. It should have figured, because Percy had met other presented alphas and omegas before too, they smelt stronger than the unpresented, whose scents were dulled down. However, Percy he had reacted strongly to Nico's scent even before, had been able to pick it out quicker than others – well, he could pick all his friends' scents out by now, thanks to his sharper senses, however _Nico_. The Earth wet after rain, darkness if darkness had a scent, and a hint of pomegranate. Percy had been eating _a lot_ of pomegranates. He had... generally been eating _a lot_ – the increase in his appetite that had kicked in when he had started this school had been steadily building. Miss Rhode assured him it'd even out again after presenting, but the change in body was currently taking far more energy from him than he usually needed; his sharpening senses, shifts in his anatomy – he was going to grow additional _bones_ and the fur and all of that. So Percy _had_ to eat a lot, once his body settled, his eating habits would too.

"His wings are bigger", commented Percy, eyes on Nico.

"Well, yes. Presenting is always a... change in body", noted Bianca amused. "For us, it strengthens our wings, sharpens our fangs and sight. It's... the process of evolving from a fledgling to a fully formed predator. It's going to be that for you too. Now concentrate."

Percy startled a little, looking sheepish. They were out, hunting together. Bianca, Nico, Percy, Calypso, Thalia, Phoebe and Zoe. Percy had been surprised when he was asked to join them. Zoe was the captain of the archery team and Phoebe, Zoe, Thalia, Bianca and Calypso were all members of it. Nico, he had been pushed by Bianca to accompany them tonight because he had finally presented. Percy though – well, apparently he was apex predator enough for them to want him to come along. However, Neptunians were aquatic apex predators. Miss Rhode had suggested for him to go along with the land-hunters to learn; being adaptable was what their species exceeded in.

And Percy had to admit, he liked this. His eye-sight was getting better, he could even see in the dark – which figured, since they were deep-sea in nature and it was naturally dark down there. His sense of smell was sharper, he could vaguely pick up where their prey was headed.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and trusted his senses. He leaped, snarling before tackling his prey, pinning him until he stopped moving. The snarling turned into pleased purring at that.

"P... Percy... I am not food, I'm friend", offered Nico beneath him slowly.

"Eh. You caught him, you get to eat him", offered Zoe dismissively.

His senses had never been sharper. He could see so clearly, smell so clearly. Not just Nico's overwhelming scent, so delicious and soothing and it made Percy _hungry_ in more senses than one. The wet ground beneath them, telling him it had rained the night before, the fresh, cold night-air, the deer that had run off ahead of them, Phoebe and Thalia who had gone ahead to follow the deer. He could hear an owl far off, could hear Phoebe and Thalia bickering.

And then pain, at his tailbone. Where his tailbone was extending. He screamed at it, fingers clawed into Nico's biceps as he bent forward, trying to curl together at the pain. Like thin needle-pricks all over did the fur start to grow. Miss Rhode had warned him, it'd hurt the first time around.

"Percy. Percy, it's alright. You're okay", whispered Nico soothingly, trying to wrap his arms around him and hold him close. "Slow. Breath slower and deeper, okay."

"I'm going to go back and get a teacher", stated Bianca and spread her wings.

/break\

Laying on the ground in the forest for over an hour with Percy had not been the most pleasant experience of Nico's life, admittedly. It took Percy to fully turn and he kept clinging onto Nico during it. Chiron and Miss Rhode had then arrived and helped them back. It was only the next day that Nico got to get a proper look at Percy though, because he had been mostly... raw, red skin, dark fur where the color couldn't really be pin-pointed in patches every now and again.

The next morning however, Nico (and Jason) were woken up by intense hammering against their door and when Nico opened it, he got to see Percy, fully turned. The half-Neptunian had the hugest grin on his face as he stood there, arms spread. His skin was covered in a short layer of thick, azure-blue fur with dark tiger-stripe markings on it, on his head two large triangular ears, black like Percy's hair but with the same dark-blue stripes. His bright smile showed off his fangs – all his teeth decidedly _longer_ and sharper than before. The nails on his fingers also sharper, pointy and bent inward. Claws. Behind him, a thick, strong tail was whipping back and fourth, the fur on it longer than on the rest of his body. He looked... like a blue kitten. Nico knew, better than the Terrans, that Percy was not in fact a kitten, that his form had nothing to do with a cat, that even the tail had a vastly different function – it was an extension of his spine that, in the water, would steady his legs for all three to work together for maximum speed. Still, it added to the cat-like aura.

"Holy shit, you look awesome, dude", gasped Jason stunned. "Also... you're blue."

"I'm blue", agreed Percy excitedly. "It started out in a weird color but the more it grew and settled, it started showing a proper color. And _look_."

The large triangular ears flopped down to lean against his head. More practical for swimming than if they stuck up on his head like that. Nico knew they had developed ears with large, adjustable ear-shells as they had started building cities in air-pockets and had to rely more on sounds.

"Wait, how are you out here? Shouldn't you, you know, writhe out a... heat", asked Jason.

Percy gave him a pointed look and then shrugged. "Eh, yeah. Last night was tough. But I feel way better right now. Miss Rhode says that for us, heat is... mostly just... horniness, unless we have a mate. So, yeah I'm fine. I mean, every single muscle in my body is burning like a bitch, but... yeah. Figured I'd do the rounds, show off to everyone. Look at how cool I look."

"I'm happy for you, man", grinned Jason amused.

"Thanks!" Percy nodded with a smile and then turned toward Nico expectantly. "What? Did I blow your mind so much you can't even formulate a sentence?"

"Uhu", nodded Nico, before shaking his head. "I mean, I just... You look great, Percy."

"That was _so_ bad", whispered Jason in awe. "You are _so_ bad at this."

Nico glared and elbowed his roommate, while Percy skipped off, laughing.

/break\

"You're _so_ beautiful, Percy", whispered Sally in awe, cupping her son's cheek.

Percy had been running around in his Neptunian form all day long, hanging out with his friends. Tonight, he was spending dinner with his mom and dad though. Paul kept gaping at him, having missed his own mouth with he food a couple of times. Percy didn't hold it against him; he had spent at least an hour just staring into his mirror when he had woken up today.

"It's really weird though", offered Percy. "I mean, the tail. Been tripping over it, or startled by it touching my leg. For the first time in my life, I understand cats and why they chase their own tails, it's weird to accept that thing as a part of yourself. And the fur. Grover accidentally rubbed it the wrong way and I legit hissed at him. There's also more sounds I can make now."

He demonstrated and his parents looked at him like Nani had when Lilo showed her how Stitch could channel the music-player. There were cooing, hissing, snarling and howling sounds that human vocal cords could not produce like that. Another change his body had made though.

"You would have been _so_ adorable if you had been born this way", muttered Sally softly, mournfully. "Those big ears and the fur coupled with your natural chubby-cheeked baby cuteness?"

"That would have at least made things easier on the figuring out where I come from front", chuckled Percy amused and dug in. "Food, also tastes different. I know I've been eating a lot of weird stuff because I liked it, but now it's like... _better_ even. Like if you only had meh pizza before and now you have a real good pizza? Only that it's not the food but my taste-buds."

"It's nice to see you so excited", offered Paul with a small smile. "I'm glad this isn't freaking you out too much and that you're... seeing it as an adventure to explore."

"It is! I'm gonna go meet Miss Rhode after dinner", grinned Percy pleased. "She's been _such_ a great help with everything. And she's really... nice too. A good mentor, not just teacher."

/break\

Rhode stared startled at Percy Jackson as her student twirled around in her office. She had told him to seek her out after hours, if he was already feeling up to it today. Apparently, he was. Last night, she had gone out with Principal Chiron to gather the children when Percy had presented in the middle of a hunt. A hunt that had been Rhode's idea. The water would have been a more ideal and soothing environment to present in for Percy, but if he had at least been in the school though...

"_You_ are the last person who should look this surprised, Miss Rhode", laughed Percy amused. "Dad's been gaping at me all dinner, Silena could not keep her hands to herself, she _really_ wanted to pet my fur. Which... I get it, been running my fingers over my arms too."

"I'm sorry", chuckled Rhode and adjusted her glasses. "Take a seat. Have some tea."

She smiled as she poured them both cups and sat down on the couch with Percy. "I'm just... surprised by your... looks. You're a blue tiger."

"I noticed. _Love_ it. Had hoped I wouldn't turn out yellow – uh, no offense to you, it's just not really my color, I guess. But this? This looks _so_ cool, I totally love it."

"No, Percy...", started Rhode once more, holding her cup in her hands. "It... It's just that it tells us about your biological father's origins. Tigers come from the region where now our capital stands – like me and my family too. We share a pattern because we share a region of origin."

"Cool. I mean, capital, I assume, means a large and tightly populated area so... not as helpful as some super rare pattern huh", sighed Percy softly.

Rhode nodded thoughtfully. He was right, of course. But even that, it wasn't... She turned away from him to look at the photo on her wall, a picture of her and her family. Queen Amphitrite was radiantly pink, orange-red leopard dotted fur. Proteus, the oldest, was orange with red stripes, Kym was all red but the red of her stripes a darker color. Rhode was yellow with orange stripes. Their colors had come from their mother, but Benthesikyme and Triton took after their father – Triton was turquoise and Benthesikyme was purple, but both their stripes were dark blue. Dark blue like their father's stripes. Their father, whose fur was blue, a vibrant, beautiful azure blue. _Royal_ blue.

Rhode slowly turned back to look at Percy, look at his beautiful azure blue fur and those dark blue stripes, the color and pattern startlingly similar to Triton's – to Poseidon's.

For a moment, she considered telling Percy that, telling him that dark blue stripes were considered royal stripes, but then she didn't know what it meant yet so what was the point. Poseidon's family was large, had been large for centuries, she knew there were many branches that had settled into regular civilians over the centuries and generations. Still, now Rhode had a very good clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, eight chapters in and at least they finally presented. Damn, this story is going slower than I had anticipated. Then again, what else is new with Nicercy multichapter fics, huh? *chuckles*
> 
> Next chapter, Rhode's gonna teach Percy some stuff about his new body and cultural heritage!


	9. Natural Hunter, Apex Predator

_Chapter 9: Natural Hunter, Apex Predator_

Rhode was growing very attached to Percy Jackson. He was such a sweet boy, in some way he reminded Rhode of her nieces. Energetic, greedy for knowledge, kind, gentle. It also felt oddly nice to be the one to teach a young Neptunian the ropes like this. She never wanted kids of her own, but this was one of the things he had envied Triton and Proteus for.

"You have to straighten your legs, keep them together and spread out your tail to line up with your legs", instructed Rhode gently. "It should do the rest automatically – on instinct."

Percy furrowed his brows doubtfully but did as instructed. The two of them stood together in the academy's private lake. After having presented a few days ago, Rhode now wanted to show Percy how to use his body properly, how to get used to his own body. He had needed some time to fully come into it though – presenting wasn't a one evening kind of thing, there were hormonal changes and physical changes that needed to settle first. Today was the day – and in this case, Rhode was very glad for her brothers, because she had seen the way they had first taught their kids to hunt.

"Woah! That's weird. Okay", grunted Percy surprised, jumping a little.

"The 'fur' isn't just fur. In the case of our tails, they can latch onto our legs to stabilize them. There is a reason fishes only have one tail and not two limbs. This helps streamline our body in the water for maximum speed", explained Rhode gently. "Now we're going to dive and hunt."

"Hunt? Wait, isn't that too soon? Shouldn't we, I don't know-", started Percy worried.

"Come on, you like to get a head-start on things, don't you? Dive right in. So let's do that."

With that, she did just dive in, leaving Percy behind, staring after her in surprise. He was nervous about this. Swimming was one thing, but diving to the bottom of a lake? He was still doubtful if he could really do that. Rhode said he could. Closing his eyes, Percy jumped down and followed. Once under the water, he carefully opened his eyes. Everything was – clear. Not like his normal, human under water vision. It was clear like the water wasn't even there, like he was above the surface. He could see so far ahead, could see the fishes and plants and ground so clearly. And Rhode.

Percy startled when she made chirping sounds. "_Come along, Percy_."

Okay. So the new funny things his vocal cords could do actually translated to language under water? That was interesting. The vibrations reached his ears and he could actually understand them. Rhode had explained this before, how his brain was wired to translate the vibrations into his mother tongue. He slowly started swimming toward her, having a bit trouble because he instinctively wanted to part his legs and swim human-style. Rhode smiled encouragingly at him as soon as he was close enough and took his hand to guide him. It was weird, but it reminded him of his childhood, of how he had first learned how to swim, his mom had the same warm smile, trying to calm him down while instructing him.

"_You're doing good. Take your time. Just like learning how to walk. You crawl slowly first before you can run. You need to get used to it, and you will. Now, try copying my movements, okay?_"

Percy nodded, not trusting his under water voice just yet. He watched her closely, the way she moved her legs and body and then he tried to copy her. It was harder than expected and he somehow ended up sinking onto the bottom of the ground, making Rhode laugh softly.

"_It's okay. You're doing fine, Percy_._ Take your time_."

/break\

"He's pretty amazing, isn't he?", whispered Reyna.

Annabeth furrowed her brows in confusion for a moment before following Reyna's line of sight. The two of them were studying together, in the library up high with the perfect view on the lake. A small smile found its way onto Annabeth's lips as she saw the blue form of Percy swimming in the lake. Him and Miss Rhode had been in the water every day after class, Rhode teaching Percy how to swim, how to communicate under the water, how to spot and hunt prey. Percy was an eager student, as he was with anything he was invested in (not so much math, literature and the other basic subjects, those he required some help from Annabeth and others, but that's why they formed study groups with each other, having those exceeding in one subject take on about three who were weaker in that subject and thus lifting each other up).

"He really is", agreed Annabeth, voice soft. "School alone is already too much for many – we've had over thirty drop-outs already. Taking on extra curricular like the swim team? And on top of that learning that he's not actually human, having to learn his body? If I'd only now be learning I'm Palladian and if I'd have to learn how to use my camouflage abilities now..."

She still remembered how her mom had taught her, with a simple trick. A cap that Annabeth needed to concentrate on, using it as her trigger for her abilities. When she put it on, she turned invisible. Not because of the cap, but because concentrating on that helped her focus and manifest her abilities. By now she could easily do it without the cap, but especially as a kid whose thoughts and concentration were all over the place, this had really helped her with when to turn invisible. Aside from visiting dams and museums, that had been her main bonding thing with her mom on her weekends over. After all, it was something her dad and stepmom couldn't help her with.

"It must have been hard for you", murmured Annabeth with furrowed brows.

Reyna was beautiful, but kids could be cruel especially of the things that were different – and Reyna's red skin made her different. She offered Annabeth a smile and shook her head.

"I have tough skin", replied Reyna. "Literally and figuratively. Nothing school kids could throw at me could compare to what home life had been like."

Annabeth averted her eyes at that, looking guilty. Both Reyna's parents had been soldiers, Belloneans who had been sent as reinforcement to the alliance during the war against Saturn and Uranus. Reyna's mother had never come back and her father Julian... he had only come back physically, not mentally. His trauma was so severe, he couldn't handle it and wasn't willing to confront it either. Annabeth knew. In the past eight months that she had known Reyna now, the two had grown very close. Aside from Percy and Piper, Annabeth considered Reyna one of her best friends. Deep down, she actually considered her _more_, but – Annabeth was awkward with feelings.

"He'll be fine though. Right?", asked Reyna, voice low and worried. "He's shouldering a lot. He really does think he has to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders all alone."

"He does", sighed Annabeth. "Thinks he has to personally solve every problem too. But that's what he's got us for, doesn't he? A team. Friends to rely on to have his back and help out. Though admittedly, I'm... a little lost as to how to help him with... this."

"I don't think we can", offered Reyna back. "I just... He has to learn how to do this with Rhode and there is no cheat-code for it. All we can do is... help out in all other aspects, right?"

"Piper's helping him with the swim-team. They're going to be co-leaders starting next year and Piper does not take shit from anyone", chuckled Annabeth fondly. "She'll not allow him to take it on all on his own. And the team... Okay. Actually, while we're sitting together..."

She got out her folder for that very thing and put it out between the two of them. Reyna tilted her head curiously and reached for it, flipping through it. Profiles from everyone from their grade. _Everyone_. And yes, not quite legally but Annabeth was a very good hacker.

"We got you, me, Jason, Nico and Piper as fighters", whispered Annabeth. "That's five. Grover and Juniper as nutritionists. Seven. Rachel as our navigator and Will as our medic. Nine. Chris is our pilot. And... captain Percy, preferably also as our pilot."

"Basically, we're still looking for mechanics then?", asked Reyna thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Here's the list of all the people exceeding in mechanics."

Annabeth flipped a few pages to pull them out for Reyna. Personally, she was really eyeing Nyssa for the job, knowing that Piper was sweet on the Vestan. Though she'd prefer more than one mechanic. Sadly, due to the size of their team already, they would only at max get two mechanics – around twelve meant eleven, twelve or thirteen members. Not more. And admittedly, their team was not as well-balanced as one would have for an official team, however for the purpose of their exercises, their bonds of friendship mattered and would positively affect the outcome of their final exam. After all, they wouldn't be going on an actual dangerous mission just yet.

"You think Calypso made the right decision?", wondered Reyna. "I mean, we asked her to join our team, since we've... become friends. I understand her reasoning that she didn't want to be on the same team as her boyfriend, however... I also understand, say, Grover and Juniper, who love each other and work well together because of that. I think... it depends."

"She's on a team with Malcolm, Katie and Connor, among others. I think she's doing well herself. Connor's a good pilot, according to her and I know Malcolm – a brilliant strategist", shrugged Annabeth. "I really do understand the concern of working with each other."

"So... you... wouldn't want to date someone on the same team...?", asked Reyna carefully.

"W... What?", whispered Annabeth surprised and wide-eyed. "I uh... I don't know... Maybe?"

She could feel herself turning slightly invisible – oh dear, she hadn't done that in a long time. But it was basically the Palladian way of blushing. Embarrassment turned them invisible on instinct. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. Oh dear. She really _had_ a huge crush on Reyna. She wanted to talk to Percy about this ask his help, but she also knew how busy he was these days...

/break\

"A date? Like, an actual real date-date?", asked Nico surprised, looking at Will.

"Screw you", grunted Will and threw a shirt at him. "Yes, I have a date."

Connor – Will's fellow omega roommate – laughed at that. "I was as shocked as you, di Angelo."

Nico turned to side-eye the younger Stoll. He knew they nearly lost Will to Connor's team, what with them being roommates and having become friends through that. Thankfully, apparently, Nico had the better offer – or Will didn't want to _constantly_ sit on his roommate, metaphorically speaking. Alabaster and Ethan, who were also on Connor's team, assured him that they'd find a different medic. Apparently Katie Gardner, who was their nutritionist, also doubled in medical herbs so she qualified for both positions. Which was clever and something Nico planned on suggesting to Juniper (Grover was _way_ too focused on food and also cooking, beyond just plants too).

"Okay, so, who's the date with?", asked Nico as he got comfortable on Will's bed.

Will kept showing Nico and Connor different shirts, trying to find what to wear. "Jake Mason. He... asked me out earlier this week. Wants to go to the end of year dance with me. And, well, wants to date me _before_ the dance too. So... We're gonna... uh... go on our first date tonight."

"Congrats. And pick the green shirt", nodded Nico amused. "Don't forget to woo Jake into joining our team, if he doesn't have one already."

"Don't sell me out like a cheap whore", warned Will pointedly.

"What about you, di Angelo?", asked Connor curiously. "Handsome, presented alpha like you must have omegas flocking around you? Especially with that... mysterious aura of yours or whatever."

"Or whatever?", echoed Nico, snorting softly. "I'm not interested in dating."

"I can hear the hearts breaking", sighed Connor dramatically.

Nico smiled a little as he rolled his eyes. What he said was true, he wasn't interesting in dating. That didn't mean he wasn't interested in an omega though. Percy, ever since Percy had presented, it was like Percy's scent was all over everything. He now regretted how often Jason and Nico housed the others for studying, because Percy _always_ ended up on Nico's bed and now very often, Nico's bed smelt like Percy's, which was just... counter productive.

"Nico is a diligent student who only focuses on graduation and not on the pretty omega giving him the heart-eyes all the time", sighed Will and shook his head. "Honestly, Percy's a saint for being so patient. If someone's giving me that cold a shoulder, I'd move on, focus on a more available option instead. I like you, Nico, I like you a lot, but you're a damn fool for ignoring that piece of ass."

"...Damn, you're so right", whispered Connor after a moment. "Percy really has a great ass."

"I mean, he also has pretty eyes and a sweet smile and he's kind-", stated Will.

"-naturally all of that, also very athletic. But like, that ass", nodded Connor seriously.

"Screw you both", growled Nico annoyed, eyebrows drawn together.

"Just saying, it's a very pretty ass and Percy has _far more_ to offer than just that so... he _will_ have other options soon enough and at one point, he _will_ grow tired of waiting for you", stated Will seriously.

Nico growled, lifting his wings a little in a threatening manner. He was well-aware of that. He knew what a catch Percy was, all around, and he knew that... Percy _liked_ him like that. He knew if he'd ask Percy out, Percy would say yes. He also knew at one point, Percy was going to grow tired of waiting for Nico. However, Nico also knew that he couldn't ask Percy out, he couldn't start dating Percy while lying about so much – about his own identity. That wasn't fair on Percy. Percy deserved to date someone who would be honest with him, someone Percy also could be happy with, because Nico... Nico was going to leave Earth after graduation. Percy deserved to be able to make plans, not have a relationship based on lies that was also on a time-limit.

/break\

"_Okay. You see the big one over there? Think you can catch it?_"

"_It's... moving fast. I... don't know_", replied Percy shakily.

Talking was one thing, but talking under water was very different. He was still struggling with expressing himself, but him and Rhode had been going to the lake nearly every day for the past two weeks, Rhode teaching Percy everything about moving under water, orienting himself under water, communicating and now, hunting. On the first day, she had been more joking, had had her fun watching Percy try to catch a fish with absolutely no chance of actually catching it. Right now though, she was very serious about this. He should have the rudimentary skills to do it now.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath. Which was also still weird, that he could breath under water. When he opened his eyes again, he had a single-minded focus on the fish Rhode had pointed at. His movement was swift – fast and without hesitation, fluent and quick. He had gotten good at that, it came naturally after the first few times of stumbling his way through it because his brain was still wired for human physiology. Snarling, he sank his fangs into the fish.

Holding it in his mouth in a way he assumed looked like a proud kitten, he turned to look at Rhode like the proud hunter he was. Rhode laughed softly as she swam up to ruffle his hair.

"_Well_ _done. You're a natural predator and you're getting good at honing your skills_."

Percy perked up at the praise, smiling proudly. He knew exactly what he was going to do with this fish. Well, not just this one. They were far from done with today's lesson, after all.

/break\

"It is dark and it is chilly. Why are we out here?", asked Annabeth, rubbing her arms.

"Here", grunted Reyna, shrugging out of her jacket to put it over Annabeth's shoulders.

"Are we even allowed out this late?", asked Piper concerned. "I do not wanna get written up."

"Mh, I pecked you for more of a rebel, McLean", teased Nyssa amused, before motioning with her head. "Besides, Mister Blofis is here, so... we have... teacher supervision?"

Grover, Juniper, Jason, Nico, Rachel and Chris were with them too, as well as Sally Jackson. Craning her neck, Annabeth could see some of their upperclassmen approaching them too – Clarisse, Silena, Beckendorf and Luke. This was a very strange line-up...?

"Thank you all for coming, even if it is late on a weekday. However, this is a very important rite of passage for my people, so we have special permission from the principal."

As they stepped closer to the lake, they could make out Percy and Miss Rhode, who offered a kind smile. Annabeth turned on her phone's flashlight to see better, noticing the pile of fire-wood, with longer, thicker logs arranged in a circle around the fire place.

"Nyssa, if you'd please?", requested Percy, motioning at the wood.

Nyssa shrugged and easily sparked the fire, offering them all both light and warmth. When Percy motioned at the long logs, the others sat down on them in a circle, all attention on Percy and Rhode.

"After presenting, a Neptunian goes on their first hunt and shares their bounty with their tribe. For... all intends and purposes, you are Percy's tribe. Naturally, we would eat them raw but we know that doesn't... go well with most of you, so I suggested a barbecue", explained Rhode.

Annabeth, Reyna and Piper exchanged a look at that. They had heard of this in class with Miss Rhode, that this was a huge rite of passage for young Neptunians, after all they were apex predators and to celebrate their first hunt was a big deal. They felt honored that Percy wanted to share this with them. Without a second thought, Annabeth went to hug Percy tightly. Grover nudged her out of the way to get in there too and both stepped away sheepishly when Percy's parents came.

"I'm very proud of you, sweetie", whispered Sally gently, tucking Percy's hair behind his ear.

He smiled and ducked his head, cheeks red before he went to sit down, his mom on one side of him and Miss Rhode on the other, while all of Percy's friends were lining up along with them.

"Uh, I also caught some... vegan options for you, Juni", offered Percy as they sat down. "Rhode showed me which seaweed makes for good... salad. Because I want you to eat something from my hunt too, but I know you don't eat fish, so..."

"That's very sweet of you, Percy", smiled Juniper amused. "You are a mighty hunter indeed."

There was teasing in her voice as she accepted the salad, because yes hunting seaweed was not exactly apex predator levels, however the fact that he hadn't forgotten and had tried to find a way to incorporate Juniper's diet into this Neptunian tradition was touching for her.

"Any words before the meal or do we just put it all on the fire and eat?", asked Luke curiously.

"Oh no. No words", grunted Percy and shook his head. "Just... thanks to all of you for your... for your support. You all really helped me with finding myself and with... learning this stuff and finding my place here. Thank you, you guys are amazing. Now have yummy fish!"

Percy grinned broadly, handing out fish on sticks to be held over the fire. The first one he had caught however, he handed to Rhode, surprising the other Neptunian. She recognized the fish.

"Oh no, you should give that to your dad-", argued Rhode gently.

"No. I mean, you taught me that the first catch goes to the tribe's eldest and... and you're the only other Neptunian I know and you taught me everything I know about being a Neptunian, the way the elders do and why they earn the first catch, right? Out of gratitude. This is me, being grateful to my senior Neptunian for everything you taught me."

Rhode's eyes felt watery as she accepted the fish, her heart swelling. Percy Jackson was a good boy and really, Rhode would have loved to give Percy a true rite of passage celebration, the way they held them on Neptune. She also would love for her siblings to get to meet the boy. Percy was the kind of kid Triton would absolutely adore – Triton often helped out at the training summer camp.

She had plans on talking to her siblings about Percy once the semester was over, because she was very determined to find his biological family for the boy – even if Percy didn't want to contact them after all. Whoever his biological father was, the man was missing out by not being a part of Percy's life and once he learned about Percy, he would absolutely realize that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at our kitten doing well! Now, next chapter we're gonna take a huuuge step. In the romantic department. ;)


	10. The Truth About Love

_Chapter 10: The Truth About Love_

"You're excited", grunted Grover amused as he packed his stuff.

"I'm going camping. Silena has asked me if I would want to tag along", replied Percy.

A couple of the hunters were going into the woods for some intense training and camping during the summer break and considering that Percy's dad was going to be busy holding summer courses – introductory courses in preparation for the new upcoming first years – there wouldn't be a summer vacation for them anyway. Not at all, now that his mom was working on the campus too. Usually, Percy and Sally would so some mother-son bonding and go on a trip to Montauk together. She had been _so_ apologetic about it, but then he had gotten this offer from Silena and while it didn't make up for not being with his mom, it would still be a great summer _and_ a vacation.

"Who else is going?", asked Grover curiously, tilting his head.

"Uh, Silena, Piper, Clarisse, Luke, Hylla, Zoe, Bianca, Thalia and Phoebe... I _think_ that Bianca also asked Nico to come. And Jason, Calypso and Reyna, of course, because younger siblings."

"Tha—at's a big line-up", grunted Grover surprised, eyebrows raised. "Sounds like you're gonna spend your summer really bonding with the upperclassmen. So far, you're mainly spending time with Luke and Silena, right? And Clarisse a bit, but – wait, Chris isn't going to come along even though his girlfriend is coming?"

"Oh no. Chris is super looking forward to seeing his mom this summer. Moving here for school was really exciting but he misses her", replied Percy with a small smile. "What about you?"

"Oh no. I mean, love nature, love the woods, but camping? Not my thing. Actually... I am... taking Juni with me to meet my folks", shrugged Grover, cheeks dark-red.

"Wo—ow. That's a big step", whistled Percy impressed, eyebrows raised.

"I... I know we've only been dating for like half a year, but actually that's a really long time? For me anyway? And... I am totally taking this relationship seriously", stated Grover determined.

Biting his lips, Percy smiled at his best friend. He really was looking forward to this summer.

/break\

There were sixteen of them, hiking up the mountains behind the school. Zoe had the plans, she was in charge here. She knew exactly where to go, high up and on the other side of the mountain there was another lake – larger than the one at their school ground and without any house or city close by. Because the hike down was dangerous and hard, so it wasn't really easy to get to that valley, like a dip in the middle of the mountain range really. It was breathtaking, was the first thing Percy thought as they finally paused on a cliff overseeing the lake. They had been hiking for a full day, up the mountain and down the other side. It had been exhausting, straining. But worth it.

"We're going to set up camp here", declared Zoe. "It's where we camped last year too."

"It's the second place we camped at last year, after the first one got flooded because we were too close to the lake and the water rises easily when the rain is heavy", tagged Phoebe on gruffly.

"You guys did this last year already?", asked Percy curiously.

"Well, not all of us. Zoe, Phoebe, Bianca and me", replied Thalia. "But it was fun."

"Still don't know why we hiked", panted Nico, glaring at his sister. "_We_ can fly."

"We can, but this is about the shared experience", pointed Bianca out and rolled her eyes.

Nico's glare intensified as he wiped his face. "Great. Can we like... just dive into the lake?"

"No", chuckled Hylla, a nearly sadistic look on her face. "First, we st up shop."

"We do what now?", asked Jason, leaning heavily against Piper. "I need to breath first, please."

"Why did we take the children with us?", asked Clarisse with an eye-roll.

"Hey, don't lump me in with those", huffed Piper offended. "We're going to put up the tents."

"Okay, great. So—o, where do we put our tent, Cally?", asked Jason, perking up.

"No—ope", grunted Zoe sternly and stepped between her little sister and Jason. "Silena worked out a rooming arrangement. You two are most definitely not sharing a tent though."

"We have seven tents and are going to pair up in them", announced Silena loudly. "Piper with me, Clarisse and Hylla, Zoe and Phoebe, Bianca and Thalia, Reyna and Calypso, Jason and Nico, Percy and Luke. No couple-y shenanigans. If I can't have my Charlie, no one gets some."

"Where _is_ Beckendorf?", asked Percy confused. "This sounds like a Beckendorf-friendly thing."

"Charlie is on a camping trip at a volcano, with Nyssa, Jake and some other Vestans."

"And Will", tagged Nico on. "Will said him, Lee, Michael and a couple other Apolloneans are also going. Not many really hot places to be at around here."

Luke heaved a soft sigh as he got out a tent. "Tav couldn't get out of his family visit."

"Couldn't get out?", asked Percy curiously when joining his temporary tent-mate.

"Tav... and his family aren't really... close", whispered Luke softly while the two unpacked all the parts of the tent to start putting them together. "His dad and grandpa and uncles are all high-ranking generals and colonels, his mom is a captain. There... is a lot of pressure on him to join the academy, to do good, to hold up the family legacy. He hates spending time with them. He'd literally rather be out here 'in the wild' than in London with them."

Percy had not known that. Admittedly, he didn't spend a lot of time with Octavian in general and found the guy mildly unpleasant, but there had to be _something_ that Luke found appealing. Instead of continuing on with the conversation, he focused on the tent. His eyes drifted over to look at Nico every now and again. Admittedly, a part of him had hoped to maybe get to share a tent with Nico. Then again, for the next three weeks, he was going to be spending a lot of time with Nico even if he didn't sleep _right_ next to Nico in the same tent. They set their tents up in a half-circle, with a safe distance to the cliff and facing toward the woods.

"Okay. Can we _now_ please? Water? I feel gross", grunted Nico displeased.

"You're such a pampered princess, di Angelo", sighed Clarisse, rolling her eyes once again.

"If you finished your tent, you can. That tent is not finished", pointed Hylla out, frowning. "That thing will be blown away at the lightest breeze. Heck, Clarisse sneezes and it'll be gone."

Jason and Nico groaned annoyed, both going back to their tent. After Luke and Percy finished theirs, Percy walked over to go and help his two classmates. They were _really_ bad at this.

"Okay, but seriously, why are you two here?", asked Percy amused as he undid their mistakes. "You complained nearly the entire hike and you have no idea how to do _this_."

"We are here under duress, not willingly", stated Jason dryly.

"Our sisters found this a very good additional training last year so they decided we ought to tag along this year", grunted Nico with a glare. "Camping is... not... my thing."

"C'mon. The worst is over. This will be fun", chuckled Percy softly.

"We will be forced to sleep on the ground", pointed Jason out, looking unimpressed. "There is no running water here, no _hot_ water, no kitchen, no washing machine, no-"

"Okay, okay, I get it, you're both spoiled, pampered princesses!", interrupted Percy.

"What I said", grunted Clarisse with a nod. "That's why the girls suggested to take em."

"Yeah, what do you expect this job to be like? When your ship is stranded on a foreign planet, when a planetary mission takes longer than anticipated and you can't make it to the ship? Camping is a basic survival skill. You're going to _have_ to do this, actually. It's part of the second year courses."

"It is?", asked Calypso with a face rivaling Jason and Nico. "What? This, camping with you for fun, could be... fun. I _am_ a hunter. But... doing this for a grade, in a class...? No, thank you."

"Well, you won't get around it, unless you drop out", shrugged Zoe unimpressed.

"Okay. All done. How about we go and enjoy the water now? Together?", suggested Percy.

"...How did you do this so fast?", whispered Nico in awe, staring at Percy wide-eyed.

"It really isn't rocket science", shrugged Percy amused. "Besides, dad and I used to go camping for bonding, after him and mom got married. It was a good way for us to spend time without mom."

"Yeah, that checks out", grunted Jason with a solemn nod. "You are an outdoorsy type who like slept under the stars and can navigate based on what direction the daisies point or whatever."

"Wow, you are _so_ going to die on your own in the wild", whispered Percy startled.

"Tha—at's why I brought him", called Thalia out. "Useless little LA rich boy who got so pampered by our stepdad, who was only well-meaning but... yeah, this one turned out spoiled."

"What? You'd prefer me raised by wolves in the wild?", huffed Jason offended.

"Wouldn't hurt", shrugged Thalia, heading toward the cliff.

She offered her brother a teasing smirk before running up to the cliff and jumping into the water. One by one, the others followed Thalia over the cliff, fully clothed because after the last twelve hours of hiking, their clothes could definitely use the wash.

/break\

Percy was proud that he could provide something for the group. After their swim together, Percy shifted and dove deeper into lake, catching them a couple of fishes. The archery club part of their outing had gone and caught them a deer. So between the fourteen of them, they got their fair share. They also smoked left-overs to make them durable for breakfast in the morning. They had a fire-place set up at the center of their camping grounds, secured with stones around it. It was nice, sitting together after they ate, just talking. Mostly about the past school year. This also proved to be a very good insight into the upcoming school year, considering the older students had just wrapped their second year while Percy and his classmates were looking forward to it.

"Okay. I'd say we should call it a night for today. We have a busy day ahead of us", declared Zoe.

"...I dread the answer, but why?", asked Jason slowly.

"We will be going on early morning runs together, every day. Then, we will have to prepare breakfast and of course also prepare for the day – gather firewood, best wash clothes and prepare foods for lunch or dinner, because it'll save us time", replied Zoe casually.

"The afternoon is reserved for hand to hand combat training and hunting for dinner", tagged Clarisse on. "We will also alternate some other training exercises – the lake offers swimming, we will be doing climbs and more hiking too. Don't worry, you will _not_ be bored."

"By Aidoneus, do I want be bored", whispered Nico horrified.

/break\

"So, Percy, not to be a total cliche, but how's your dating life?", whispered Luke as him and Percy settled into their sleeping bags in their tent in the dark. "I know Mike's been giving you looks, been seeing it during races of the swim-team. He your type?"

"Tall, dark, handsome guys with washboard abs?", questioned Percy rhetorically. "Nah."

"Hey, heterosexuals exist. Or so I hear", laughed Luke softly.

"Not it", hummed Percy with a small smile. "I'm just _pan_tastic."

"Oh, a puny gay. Love those", chuckled Luke. "So, there any humanoid being you're interested in?"

Furrowing his brows, Percy rolled over to look at Luke. "I... don't wanna talk about it."

"Okay, that's fair", nodded Luke with a reassuring smile. "Sometimes, you gotta figure out your own feelings for yourself before you wanna talk about it. Still, camping feels like the proper lovey-dovey gossip atmosphere, especially since all but Calypso had to leave their partners behind."

"I mean, it doesn't look like Cally plans on _using_ her boyfriend during this trip", offered Percy. "She is really taking this seriously, which is kind of a surprise."

"Well, she's a Nightshade. They're serious and real born hunters", shrugged Luke amused. "How are things coming together for you? You take your personal training very seriously and learned a lot about your Neptunian heritage. I... I had trouble with it too. My dad, he bailed when I was a baby, my mom is human and... she... never got over the breakup. She kind of lost her mind... so she wasn't much of a help. It's why I signed up for this school, to get away, start anew. It's where I first got any kind of guidance and support too."

For a moment, Percy remained silent. Luke was always very bright and supportive, rarely talking about his own past. This explained that. But Percy knew firsthand that pity was annoying.

"It's going well. Miss Rhode offered to help me look for my biological father. I still haven't decided it I want to take her up on that offer though...", drawled Percy, yawning. "I... I think I'm tired. The hike really was very exhausting. I'd like to sleep?"

In truth was he just really tired of talking about this. His mom, his dad, Grover, Annabeth, _everyone_ constantly asked him about this and honestly, Percy didn't have an answer yet, he hadn't really thought on it. Part of him really wanted to know, was so curious, but the other part didn't want to intrude on his biological father's life and didn't want it to mess with his family either.

/break\

As murderous and exhausting as the camping was, Nico had to admit that he also enjoyed it. The barbecues, hunts, fishing, the training, being out here with his sister and his best friends. Whenever they were granted some free time, he got to hang out with Jason, Reyna and Percy (well, and Calypso and Piper, but for Nico, his best friends took priority). Tonight, about ten days into their camping trip, he got to be all alone with Percy. He had noticed two nights ago that Percy sneaked out of the camp for a midnight swim after everyone had fallen asleep (it had _nearly_ given Nico a heart-attack when he went out to take a piss the other night). And, finally wanting _some_ one on one time with Percy, Nico had stayed awake. Forced himself to stay awake, because the days were very exhausting so staying awake was ridiculously hard these nights. It was dumb, probably, because he didn't want a relationship with Percy – couldn't, shouldn't want a relationship with Percy. Yet he still craved the omega's attention and time and closeness. And for the past ten days, privacy had really not existed. Not even when he wanted to go to the bathroom – not that they _had_ a bathroom. But for safety reasons, when one had to go, they had to take a buddy with them to stand guard.

"I'm... sorry if I'm intruding. You're probably enjoying your moment all alone. I shouldn't bother you. You know what, it's stupid, I'll just go back to bed."

"Nico. You can stay, if you want. I don't _own_ the lake", laughed Percy amused.

Nico nodded stiffly, staring at Percy. Even though it had been months now, he still wasn't over just how gorgeous Percy's Neptunian form was. So gorgeous. Shaking himself out of his awe, Nico quickly walked into the water to join Percy. The amazing thing (the thing that had nearly given him a heart-attack the other night) was that Percy's markings were luminescent. Blue glowing in the dark. Nico kept staring in awe, watching Percy swim circles around him a couple times.

"You're doing great", offered Percy after a few moments. "I mean, for how much you and Jay died after the hike here, you're surviving training really well, you know."

"I'm... adaptable", muttered Nico frustrated. "It's still... urgh."

"Well, missions aren't going to be all rainbow, sunshine and diplomatic conversations over a nice, exotic dinner", argued Percy amused. "Some are going to be hard, especially if you're going to become an explorer. I mean... we never really talked about this, I guess."

"This?", echoed Nico confused, floating around in the water and watching the moon.

"Your chosen career path. I mean. We're only going to enter our second year, so I guess many haven't decided yet. But... what are you going to the school for?", asked Percy curiously.

"I... uh... explorer. I want to... travel the... worlds... and stuff", shrugged Nico vaguely.

"Uhu", grunted Percy, very unconvinced. "So—o... you came to join me just... for fun?"

"I... yeah. Midnight swims. Totally my thing", nodded Nico, just as unconvincing as before.

"You didn't join me so... we could be... alone... and... talk about... stuff?", prodded Percy, swimming very, _very_ close to Nico. "Talk about... I don't know... feelings? Maybe?"

"F... Feelings? No feelings. No", grunted Nico, shaking his head wildly.

"Man, you're the worst liar possible", sighed Percy pointedly. "Look. If you don't want a relationship with me, then say so. But... I know you _like_ me. I can literally smell it by now, ever since we both presented, you know. _Why_ don't you want a relationship with me? You like me, I like you? We're... a pretty good team, aren't we? We work well together, we... Just, why?"

They were only a breath apart from each other now. Nico could feel Percy's breath on his cheek, could feel the warmth and smell the omega's sweet, tempting scent. He gulped hard.

"I... I just... We can't. Shouldn't. I need to focus on... on my studies", offered Nico awkwardly.

"Again, you're _such_ a bad liar", sighed Percy frustrated. "It's okay if I'm not... playing in your league, just say so. I guess an Earthly peasant isn't a good match for a Plutonian prince."

Nico froze, for a moment also forgetting how to actually breath or blink. "W... What...?"

"Like I keep saying, you're a bad liar", stated Percy, tilting his head. "And I met both your sister Hazel and your sister Bianca. And while the pictures in our history course were ten years old, especially seeing all three of you lined up together... And okay, the translations for your names was a bit different, but... Bianca is Princess Blanche. You're Prince Nicodemos. I figured it out months ago. Guessed you're in like... witness protection or whatever, for your own safety."

Nico simply continued staring at Percy. Admittedly, when actually knowing all three siblings and having taken Plutonian History 101 one _may_ perhaps be able to piece one and one together, yet still he had hoped no one would. He averted his eyes, unsure what to do now.

"No one can know", whispered Nico urgently. "No one else is allowed to know. Who-"

"I think Annabeth figured it out, because come on, it's Annabeth", offered Percy. "Most others just... buy it. That you're who you said you are and considering all pictures are outdated..."

"It's not that I'm out of your league", stated Nico firmly, looking at Percy with all the sincerity he could muster. "I don't wanna start a relationship with a lie, I couldn't just... tell you that I liked you and then... then date you while not even telling you who I am."

"Ah. So... What I hear here is that... we can date now?", concluded Percy thoughtfully.

"...What?", asked Nico, blinking blankly.

"I mean, if your only reason for not dating me was that you didn't wanna lie to me about who you are but couldn't tell me the truth yourself either because of... reasons, then I don't really see a problem here considering that I figured it out all on my own", offered Percy with a shrug.

Nico continued staring at Percy dumbly. That... was technically true. It was also an option Nico had never really considered before. No one was supposed to find out, he had never calculated for the chances that anyone would actually figure out his real identity. Which, after what Percy had just said, seemed admittedly... naive. Being completely lost, Nico simply continued staring.

"May I suggest a kiss...?", asked Percy fondly. "I mean, if that was _really_ your only reason."

"The job. I'm going to... to join the army. To fight my war. I'll leave you-", argued Nico.

"Sounds like a bridge we'll cross when we get to it?", suggested Percy. "Right now, I just see the boy I like in front of me and I'd really like to kiss him. What about you? What do you want _now_?"

"Kiss you", whispered Nico back, instinctively leaning in closer.

"Good. That's what I'd hoped your answer would be", grinned Percy pleased.

Now both of them leaned in at the same time, until their lips met. Percy's ears twitched eagerly as they kissed under the moonlight for the very first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY KISSED! The ship is sailing! ;D And next chapter, we will start year 2 - or rather, year 1 for Hazel, Frank and Leo, letting them join the plot too!
> 
> However, **there will be no update next month**. August is Writer's Month, a 31 day prompt event I am hosting with two friends and that I also plan on participating in, for all 31 prompts. Due to my severe condition of only being human with two hands to type, I simply can't write 31 oneshots and five chapters total for my ongoing stories, so updates will be suspended. The schedule will resume in September and the next update for this fic will be **September 26th**.


	11. The New First Years

_Chapter 11: The New First Years_

"I've been at this school for two years now and _no one_ found out my real identity. You've been here for a year and now you... you have managed to spill our secret to three people."

Bianca was glowering as she paced in front of Nico. They were in Nico and Jason's room. Nico, Jason, Percy and Annabeth were sitting together in front of her like children being chastised by their mother. Ducking his head, Nico tried to hide behind his boyfriend. Percy just smiled and linked their fingers, leaning into Nico some more to comfort the embarrassed alpha.

"It's not like I told them", grunted Nico, pouting a little.

"Exactly!", exclaimed Jason, nodding widely. "We figured it out all on our own."

"Also, in all fairness, when you were here alone, you... were here alone. One Plutonian named Bianca – and your name-translation really differs the most from the history textbook versions. But _now_? With the both of you, and your sister's visited campus before too. It... becomes easier to figure out, you know", argued Annabeth with one eyebrow raised.

Bianca stared at her, blinking a couple of times. "...Okay, perhaps that's true. But still. You guys, you _can't_ tell _anyone_. Not your best friends, or partners, or parents."

"Will you... tell us more?", asked Percy softly. "About how you got here? What you're doing here?"

"What's there to tell?", sighed Bianca as she sat down. "The capitol was under attack. Our parents, they... they sent us with our nannies off-planet. We traveled as far as we could, until we reached Earth. We... took on new identities, as just... refugees from Pluto."

"And you plan on going back", stated Percy, looking at her.

"Nico", sighed Bianca, glaring pointedly at her brother.

"He wanted to date me! I _had_ to tell him there's an expiration date to that!", exclaimed Nico.

"Wait, _date_?", echoed Jason excitedly. "Does that mean you two _finally_-"

"Getting off-topic, Grace", huffed Nico immediately, cheeks flushing.

Bianca was still glowering at her brother, shaking her head. "Yes. We – Nico and I – are going to return to Pluto, to help our people. After we went through training here."

Bianca left no room for argument to it, arms crossed as she continued pacing. They just watched her. No one could say anything to that. They had no idea what the Plutonians had been through, what the war must have been like for the kids, what the responsibility of the crown felt like, the desire to help their people. Percy turned to rest his head against Nico's shoulder.

"So—o. Back to the actual news here", drawled Jason after a moment. "You two? Really?"

"Happened during the camping trip last week", shrugged Nico, avoiding Jason's gaze. "We were swimming late and it just... kind of... happened. He's very persistent."

"Yeah, this one tried to argue that I wouldn't want to date him because he'll have to leave again", huffed Percy with an eye-roll. "Well. That's not getting him out of this relationship."

He smiled brightly and tucked Nico close enough to kiss his cheek.

/break\

"Welcome to your second year at Chiron Academy. I'm happy so see how many of you made it through the first year", announced Chiron as he pranced on the stage. "We'll start the year off by announcing the official teams you were supposed to form and file for. The first we have are the... Andronauts. Captain Percy Jackson, First Mate Annabeth Chase, Pilot Chris Rodriguez, Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo, Grover Underwood, Juniper Chios, Rachel Dare, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, Piper McLean, Nyssa Barrera, Will Solace and Jake Mason."

One by one their crew came up on stage, Percy flushing at the title of captain, but in the democracy of things, he had been outvoted. They cut it close, with around a dozen members allowed, they could be eleven or thirteen and they had reached the exact limit. Percy liked their name though, it was a bit of a dorky pun. Like the Argonauts, the sailors of the Argo. But for Andromeda, the Andronauts. Because that was the ship-name they had voted for. The Princess Andromeda, because their captain's name was Perseus. And, well, Percy was weak for a dumb pun.

From up on the stage, they watched the other teams gather. There were twelve teams. Which was startling, because they had started off with 200 students just a year ago. And now over fifty had dropped out already. It made Percy puff out his chest just a little bit that he was still here.

/break\

"I love her", whispered Percy softly. "Look a her, she's beautiful. So gorgeous."

"...Percy, I'm starting to feel jealous _of a ship_, please stop", grunted Nico with a pout.

Blinking, Percy stepped back from their ship and turned toward his boyfriend with a sheepish look. The Princess Andromeda. After the introductory ceremony, they were all led toward the hangars, where every team was assigned a ship. This year, they would not just train as a team, they would also have to learn how to maintain a ship. The state of the ship factored into their grade too at the end, because a good team had to know how to keep it not just running but in good condition.

"Ni—ico. Look at her!", exclaimed Percy. "She's perfect and she's ours!"

"At least he finally accepted his role as the captain", muttered Chris amused.

"Listen, as much fun as it is to have my boyfriend wax poetry at a spaceship, I'll... go and help Hazel settle in", sighed Nico with a look at the clock. "It's moving time for the newbies."

"Hazel's first day! I'm gonna help you help her!", exclaimed Percy, letting go of the ship.

"It's okay, you can stay here, drool over the ship, amore", chuckled Nico gently.

He kissed Percy's cheek before leaving the hangar. Having a _boyfriend_ was still very weird. He got to kiss Percy, hold hands with him, be so close to his omega. Percy had started stealing Nico's hoodies, seemingly enjoying his scent as much as Nico enjoyed Percy's scent. Which was mutually beneficial because Nico got his hoodies back smelling like Percy. Like right now. His _Star Wars_ hoodie smelt like strawberries and the ocean, making him smile.

"Nico, sweetie! It's so nice of you to help us with Hazel's things."

Nico smiled as he was being pulled into a hug by Maria, peppering his face with kisses. Marie was rolling her eyes fondly, though as soon as Maria let go of him, she also pulled him into a hug. Hazel lingered about, waiting for them to get going. Not like Nico was gonna let her get away without a hug though. Okay, so maybe hugging ran in the family and so did acting annoyed by it.

"Nervous, Haze?", asked Nico teasingly, smiling to himself.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, this is huge", huffed Hazel, straightening up. "_But_ I am ready for this."

Nico opted not to comment on that one. she was _so young_ – unfair, sure, because he was only a year older than her, but still, she was his _baby sister_. All he wanted was to protect her. He thought it'd be enough, if him and Bianca returned to save their home planet. Why couldn't Hazel simply... be here, be safe, lead a normal life? Not that he didn't know the answer to that one. It was the same reason why Bianca and Nico were doing this, because at her heart, Hazel too was a royal of Pluto. That didn't make it easier for Nico though. He had already lost at least two – maybe three – siblings to the war. Not that he had _definite_ word on it, but... last he had seen of his sisters, Makaria and Melinoe, he doubted they had made it out alive. Word from Pluto hadn't reached Earth in years.

"Thi—is should be my room", stated Hazel as they reached the dorms. "1313. Lucky numbers."

Marie knocked, until a redhead with large, red wings opened the door. She smiled brightly at them.

"Hey, I'm Hazel, your new roommate. Nice to meet you!"

"Ella Dare. You can have the right bed", nodded the redhead. "Nice wings!"

Hazel smiled at that, spreading her black wings. "Yours are beautiful too. Solarian?"

Ella nodded enthusiastically at that, spreading her own wings. Most Solarians were snake-like – or generally reptilian, bit like dragons – but some were what humans would consider phoenixes. Fire-red wings, literally fire-proof. Though they were relatively rarer.

"If you have problems in any class, you come talk to me or Bianca", instructed Nico. "And always... be careful, okay? Also, form a study-group. It... _really_ helps."

"Please tell me you won't always be like this", sighed Hazel. "Hovering and overbearing."

Nico huffed offended and put Hazel's things down on her bed. "You know what. I can spend my time better than with my ungrateful baby sister. I have a-... a Percy to be with."

"_You_ have a Percy?", echoed Maria intrigued. "It's _your_ Percy now, yes?"

"Percy, that was the cute Neptunian, right?", wondered Marie for a moment. "I liked him."

"Seems like Nico li—ikes likes him", teased Hazel with a grin.

"I have just decided that I am an only child and an orphan. Goodbye", declared Nico.

/break\

Nico smiled to himself as he watched the shining blue beneath the surface. It was late in the evening, technically after curfew, but Percy had a special permission from Rhode, because he still had to learn the full potential of his powers, that included night-vision hunting in the water. Nico? He didn't have one, he was supposed to be in his room, preferably asleep considering tomorrow the new semester officially started with classes. But Percy, in the water, in his blue kitten form? How could Nico _possibly_ stay in his room when there was a swimming Percy to be watched?

"Stalker."

Nico jumped slightly at the accusatory voice. When he turned around, Rhode stood behind him with a teasing smile on her lips. She approached him and sat down next to him on the hill, watching.

"Relax, I am just... teasing", assured Rhode with a small smile. "You seem to like him a lot, mh."

"I... I mean, he's _my_ _boyfriend_ now", mumbled Nico a bit flushed.

"Dating a prince. Must be exciting", laughed Rhode. "Though knowing Percy, he'll probably not even be fazed by it, mh? He's not the type to be hung up on status."

"...Does _anyone_ on campus _not_ know who we are?", sighed Nico frustrated.

"In all fairness, I am literally the princess of your neighboring planet", chuckled Rhode. "And, I admit, I didn't notice at first. I've been in more contact with my father lately and we talked about your, well, about your father. You know our fathers used to be close. He sent me an adorable picture of the two of them and King Zeus, all around your age. You look just like your father."

"I hear that more often than I care to", sighed Nico, eyes becoming more sad.

"For... For what it's worth, my father says they're alright", whispered Rhode softly, searching Nico's face. "Your family, I mean. Though... until recently, I had assumed _you_ and your two sisters were dead. You're the ones said to have... died."

"M... Mel and Kari are... alive?", asked Nico, voice wavering a little.

"Melinoe and Makaria are very much alive. They've sought refuge on Neptune, after the forces of King Kronos took Parthenope", assured Rhode, wrapping an arm around Nico's shoulders.

Parthenope, the asteroid that Melinoe and Makaria used to rule. When it had been taken by Kronos, that was... that was why Nico thought his sisters had _died_. He sacked in relief, a sob wrecking his body. He wasn't a crier. He was tough. This wasn't something to be tough about. Rhode made a soft noise as she pulled him into a full hug, gently patting his back as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I miss them", admitted Nico in a small voice.

He was so strong. Rhode had seen him at training, not just physically but mentally strong. Sometimes, seeing these young cadets train, it was easy to forget that they were still children. He was sixteen now, that time where one wasn't a real adult yet but wasn't fully a child anymore either. Right now, in her arms, sobbing, he looked very much like a child to her.

/break\

School was a little less cool when everyone only looked at you as 'the little sister of x'. Wherever Hazel went, she was either 'Bianca's little sister', or 'Nico's little sister'. This was the wrong path to make her own name, because here, she stood in their shadows. Sometimes, she imagined what it'd be like had she gotten to grow up at the palace. She'd probably still be in the shadow of Bianca and Nico, but also... Zagraeus, Melinoe and Makaria. Hazel had only been four years old when they left Pluto, she only had a shady shadow of a memory of her other older siblings. She wished she remembered them. Not that Bianca and Nico remembered them too well either, Nico was a year and a half older than her, Bianca over a year older than Nico. It summed up. Bianca had the most memories of them still. Stories from her and from Maria and Marie were the only way she even had a notion of her older siblings. Nico had told them the other day that apparently, their sisters were safe on Neptune (and, apparently, Rhode knew who they were too).

"You are very enthusiastic", stated Ella with a smile.

The two roommates were in the library. Nico _had_ advised her to form a study-group and, after the first week of very overwhelming classes, Hazel had to admit he may be right. There were just so many classes that wanted so much from them – not just regular school-classes, all the planets' history, the various biology courses, physical training. It was so much. Hazel and Ella had asked the two girls from the room opposite theirs to join them – Miranda Gardner, from Ceres, and Lou Ellen Blackstone, from Eris. The four of them were studying together for Neptunian 101.

"I wanna learn. It's... fun", shrugged Hazel, tilting her head a bit. "I wanna prove myself."

"Ah, yes. You share the suffering of having an older sibling already here", sighed Miranda.

Her older sister Katie Gardner was in the same year as Nico. It was nice, having someone who understood the annoyance of being 'the little sister'. They were here to become strong, not to be little siblings. Their older siblings weren't on the same team though. Teams. Nico had also advised her to start early on recruiting members for that. In the second year, they would have to fight as a team – and that would go decidedly better if they already knew each other. There was _so much_ to prepare for and she suddenly felt oddly overwhelmed.

"Hey. Uh. You guys, you have like a study-group right?"

Hazel blinked and looked up. Two boys stood in front of her. One clearly from Vesta, with the large, leathery dragon-like wings, while the other was chubby, taller and had ruby-red skin; from Mars.

"We... do", offered Lou Ellen. "Wait, I've seen you guys in Neptunian too, right?"

"Yeah. Leo Valdez, my roommate Frank Zhang. We're kind of totally overwhelmed with the whole universe stuff, because we grew up here on Earth and uh not to overshare but not really in touch with the alien-heritage", explained the Vestan with a sheepish grin.

He was cute, with the curls and the grin. Hazel smiled at him and at the Martian – Frank.

"Sure! Sit down. The more, the... well, more we can help each other", offered Hazel. "I'm Hazel."

"Miranda, Lou Ellen, Ella", tagged Miranda on with a smile.

Well, so far it wasn't going too badly, right? She was gathering her own study-group. She'd make it, even without her big sister and big brother constantly trying to protect her or help her out. When they would return to Pluto, she would be useful, she would _not_ hold them back.

/break\

"That looks just _so_ awesome", whispered Percy in awe. "Rach, you're a genius."

"Wouldn't go _that_ far, but... definitely a good artist", noted Annabeth, nodding in approval.

Their whole team was gathered in the hangar, taking in the new look of their Princess Andromeda. Its name was now painted on the side of it in large, stylistic letters. Blues, greens and purples.

"Tha—anks. Me and Nys spent all morning on it", grinned Rachel.

"Yeah we did and we did good", declared Nyssa, high-fiving Rachel.

Percy smiled broadly as he leaned against Nico, wrapping his an arm around his boyfriend's waist. Grover and Juniper were holding hands, standing on one side of them, Chris and Jason were inside inspecting it again. The first week had eased them into normal classes, but next week, they were actually going to start their team-specific training. Reyna, Piper, Will and Jake stood behind them, arguing about how to stock their ship best. Which was one of the problems. Limited space and everyone had their very own priorities on what to take along. This was going to be fun.

"Okay. Everyone, make a list of what you want to bring along for next week's first flight. Drop it by me by Wednesday and I'll review, because you all decided I should be captain", sighed Percy.

"I love the martyrdom he has going on", huffed Nyssa and rolled her eyes.

"I don't wanna be the leader and make the final decisions", pouted Percy, arms crossed.

The others made various degrees of fond faces at that. Next Friday, they were supposed to leave Earth for the first time. Fly up to a space-station orbiting Earth. Just to see how well they could do. They had a probationary flier's license for now, not enough to be allowed to fly to other planets, but the space-station was allowed. This year, they _would_ get their license. Well, not all of them, the pilots. Chris, Percy too because having two pilots was better than one. Because by the end of the year, they would have to travel all the way to the moon for the final exam.

"Why the fretting anyway?", asked Chris with a frown. "I mean, it's not like we... have to stay there, right? We're just supposed to fly up to the station and then return by the evening."

"They'll check our provisions", replied Annabeth. "It's _entirely_ up to us to decide what food, how much food, what weapons, utensils, what else we need. No guidance given. That's the challenge. They test how well we balance this ourselves. We'll be taught what we actually need and how to calculate up on the station, but they want to see how good we'd do without tips."

"So we get bonus points for calculating this ourselves", hummed Jake. "Guessing, basically."

"More or less", shrugged Reyna. "Once we graduate and actually work, we _will_ have to figure these things out. It'll be a good first test to see how well we do."

Nico reached out to lay his arm around Percy's waist too, pulling him closer and running his thumb in circles around Percy's hipbone. He knew Percy didn't like the idea of being leader, of making the final decisions. However, Nico also knew that Percy was very capable of doing that. He _was_ a leader, even if he didn't see himself as one. Because everyone followed him, willingly. Looked at him for guidance, advise, he had gathered them together. What other quality would they need in a leader, really? He led them. That was it, that was all it needed. All they needed.

"Do... you have some time?", whispered Nico softly. "Wanna... go grab lunch?"

"Wow, you two are adorable", grinned Jason teasingly.

"Yes. Definitely. Before there will be more teasing. You guys, lists until Wednesday. No test drives, Chris, I see you eyeing it", warned Percy, slipping his hand down to take Nico's hand.

He pulled his boyfriend along out of the hanger and toward the cafeteria. It was silly, they had barely been boyfriends for a bit over a week, but still. It felt so _good_, just to think 'his boyfriend'. It was reassuring, to know that Nico had his back – which he _did_. Nico supported him, had been so reassuring about the whole leadership thing that Percy had caved in the end and accepted. Because Nico believed in him. The two made their way and got a couple sandwiches before sitting down outside beneath a tree. It was September now, slowly getting chilly and windy outside, but today was surprisingly warm still. Percy smiled and kissed Nico softly before they unwrapped their sandwiches and started eating. Percy's smile grew as he leaned against Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, they'll go on their three day team mission trip!


	12. Team-Building Exercises

_Chapter 12: Team-Building Exercises_

Percy sighed as he paced the Princess Andromeda. He had checked and double-checked everything they were supposed to have. His team had... Well, everyone had their own priorities. And they all gave their lists to Percy, for him to decide what _had_ priority. An ungrateful job. Part of why he didn't want to be a leader. He didn't like letting people down and this felt like letting them down.

"Gattino, relax", requested Nico in a gentle voice, wrapping his arms around Percy's waist.

Sighing softly, the omega leaned back against his alpha, closing his eyes. Nico relaxed him. It was so relaxing to be close to Nico, he _reassured_ Percy, made him feel less tense. He tilted his head back to rest against Nico's shoulder. It wasn't just the alpha-omega thing. It was Nico himself. Nico believed in Percy, he backed him up and supported him.

"That's easier said than done", grunted Percy with a pout. "Tomorrow's gonna be... urgh..."

"A full success", declared Nico, kissing Percy's shoulder. "Come now. You need your rest."

Percy had done his everything to prepare for tomorrow's mission. There was nothing more to do. He had eaten dinner with his parents today. He had fretted so much, but his mom too told him everything would be alright. Paul had been more excited than worried; he was a teacher there. He knew about this mission, about the importance of this first big test for the second years.

"You're going to spend next weekend away with your family, right?", asked Percy as the two made their way back to the dorms. "Are you dreading it, or looking forward to it?"

"Why not both?", huffed Nico with a frown. "I love them, but they are a lot. Hazel, she is really enjoying school so far. Part of me had hoped she would think it's not for her..."

"You worry too much", whispered Percy, taking Nico's hand and running circled over his pulse.

"She's my baby sister, of course do I worry", muttered Nico frustrated.

"Percy! Percy, I'm so glad I found you. Ah, Nico. Hello. Can I borrow your boyfriend?"

"Of course, Miss Rhode", sighed Nico as the teacher ran up to them. "See you tomorrow?"

He kissed Percy's cheek before continuing on his way, leaving Percy alone with Rhode. It was curious that the princess looked so ruffled. She offered him a smile, straightening her hair.

"I'm sorry. I know it's late. I know you have your second year mission tomorrow. But there is a student I want you to meet", explained Rhode. "The first years. We just realized, one of them is Neptunian himself. He didn't even know – his mother died when he was seven, he grew up in foster care. I thought, since you haven't met another Neptunian aside from me."

She was leading Percy toward a different part of the dorms. Another Neptunian? Percy wasn't the only one on campus anymore? This was exciting. He was really glad she had decided to tell him right away, he wanted to meet others like him, like them. They paused in front of a door, knocking. The boy opening was... not what Percy had expected. He was about two heads taller than Percy, with messy brown and a broad, happy smile. How was this kid a year younger but so much taller?

"Miss Rhode!", exclaimed the boy excitedly. "Hello. Is this the student you mentioned?"

"Yes. Percy Jackson, Tyson Smith. Our only current Neptunian students."

"Brother!", exclaimed Tyson immediately and hugged Percy tightly, lifting him off the ground.

"Wo—oah", yelped Percy startled, laughing a little. "Uh, nice to meet you too."

"We're the same. So, we're brothers, right? I've never met anyone like me", declared Tyson.

Anyone else and this would have been weird, but something about Tyson's smile was so incredibly sincere. Good-meaning. Pure. Smiling, Percy returned the hug. After all, he had only ever known Rhode too, never seen another Neptunian before in his life. And he guessed it made sense. If Tyson had grown up in foster care, he may still be looking for that sense of family.

"I'm... I'm gonna be away for the weekend, but how about we have lunch on Monday?"

"That sounds awesome", confirmed Tyson excitedly. "Yes. Have fun on your trip!"

"Thanks", chuckled Percy with a small smile. "It's... I'm glad I met you, Tyson."

"Me too. You can teach me all the Neptunian stuff. It looks so cool."

"It doesn't just look cool, it is", laughed Percy, hugging Tyson one last time.

And oh wow. Becoming the teacher? He didn't think he was ready for _that_ yet. His eyes trailed over toward Rhode, who just smiled reassuringly at him. She had his back, was going to help him with this, as she had been helping him with everything. A part of Percy would love to meet her family – the family that raised such a compassionate, kind and helpful woman, also the royal family of Neptune – but he knew that was unrealistic. Why would he, he was just a random half-blood on Earth. And Neptune was currently pretty busy with the war. Not a vacation destiny, really.

/break\

The uniforms looked amazing. They were wearing the official space uniforms. Skin tight, in a light gray, but with color-coded accents on it. The mechanics were dark-brown, the medics yellow, the nutritionists/cooks were dark green, fighters dark red, regular crew members orange, the pilot in turquoise – and the captain in dark blue. Percy looked good in dark blue.

"Everyone at their stations?", asked Percy with as much authority as he could muster.

"Everyone ready, captain", confirmed his second-in-command with a smile.

Annabeth sat at his right hand, wearing the dark gray of the first mate and strategist. Chris, Rachel and Nyssa were with them in the cockpit. Rachel, their navigator, Nyssa had doubled some in navigation and piloting – for _fun_ – so she took her place as the co-pilot for now. Everyone else was back in the ship. Grover and Juniper in the kitchen and storage room, most likely already getting ready to prepare their lunch – cooking for thirteen people was a lot. Piper and Will in the infirmary; Piper had decided to double in some herbal and medical classes as her specialization, because having only one medic was always a bit risky. If something happened to him, they were all screwed. Reyna, Jason and Nico were going to be their fighters – together with Percy and Annabeth. Five fighters seemed like a pretty good number to Percy. Jake was probably napping for now, he guessed. The poor guy had gotten up really early to check everything about the ship one last time before they left, make sure the engine and all were going to run smoothly.

Swallowing hard, Percy sat down in the captain's chair and ordered take-off. His heart was hammering in his chest. The first stage of the test was to get to the satellite. It wasn't _necessarily_ a race, but everyone viewed it as such anyway. Who got there safely first won. The travel would be about six hours, for first timers they usually set around eight hours.

"Okay. We're on course", declared Chris, after checking with Rachel. "You guys are free to... roam the ship, do whatever you want. We'll bring you back when we're heading for landing."

That was the rule. Unless anything happened, no one aside from one pilot needed to stay in the cockpit, everything was automated but it still was never to be left unsupervised. Pilot and copilot usually took shifts, always with one additional crew-member – to avoid the accidental falling asleep. Only when something came up would more crew gather here.

"Wonderful. I still have some reading to catch up", sighed Annabeth pleased. "Rachel?"

"Yeah, I'm taking first shift with Chris", confirmed the redhead. "Percy. Go take a nap. You look like you haven't slept at all... last week."

Percy rolled his eyes at her but he complied. He was sharing a cabin with Will – the only other male omega on their crew. The two weren't particularly close yet, they were on the same team, sure, but he hadn't exactly talked a lot to the medic yet. He knew Nico had befriended Will though, so he hoped he could use this trip as a bit of a bonding exercise. By the time Percy made it to their shared cabin, Will was indeed inside, unpacking their things. They were going to spend the whole weekend here, after all. Most had brought some entertainment for the flight, or homework to be caught up on, with them. Will looked up and smiled at him as Percy entered the room. Most of the time, Will used a high-tech glamour to look just like a regular human, but Percy knew that his species, Apolloneans, were fire-breathing and looked like Earth's reptilians. It was pretty cool, really.

"Hey. I... don't know if I said it yet, but I'm glad you... decided to join our team."

"You had very... very... _very_ good arguments", offered Will with a grin. "Jake's abs. I am absolutely talking about Jake's abs. That is... one adorably easily flustered alpha, honestly."

"Not the motivation I would have hoped had gotten you to join us, but okay", sighed Percy amused.

"Hey. How else am I gonna grow close to him? This is perfect. And, honestly, I had no... inclination either way to what team to join. Malcolm and Katie are my friends and they're in a different team, but Chris and Nico are _also_ my friends. So... Jake's abs were the deciding factor."

"Fair enough", laughed Percy. "They _are_ nice abs. Not as nice as Nico's though..."

"Aw. You two are so smitten", huffed Will out, smiling to himself. "Nico is all 'Percy this' and 'Percy that', those _beautiful_ eyes of yours – admittedly, very pretty eyes. But it's getting a bit boring to listen to him wax poetry about you all the time."

"I like listening to him wax poetry about me", hummed Percy mischievously.

He laid down on his bed, stretching out and yawning widely. Time for a little nap.

/break\

"Hey there, gorgeous. Need... any help with that?", asked Nyssa with a smile.

Her and Piper had been dancing around each other for weeks, dancing closer and closer, to the point that it was quite silly that they were dating yet. Or so Reyna and Annabeth had decided. Well, after those two had finally figured it out for themselves this summer. The four of them and Rachel were sitting in the cafeteria, eating their lunch. Rachel had switched shifts with Jason, Chris had went to get a nap right away, but Rachel was starving. Thankfully, Grover and Juniper had done good work on the lunch. Now, Rachel was doomed to watch more flirting.

"Just kiss. Please. I beg of you. This is getting tiresome", drawled Rachel dryly.

Both Piper and Nyssa flushed at that, staring at each other. Honestly, Rachel saw no point in that kind of back and forth. If someone liked another, they should just _say it_. Made things easier. She thought there could be benefits in romantic partners working together, they were in tune, they also helped relax each other – like Percy and Nico did for each other. But if they just awkwardly pined from afar, there was no benefit to that. Especially now that they were a team.

"Rach. That was... you should have... Rach", sighed Annabeth frustrated.

The two of them had quickly become rather good friends, despite having edged on at first. Both were very headstrong women and were different in one major aspect – Rachel was an artistic soul, while Annabeth was an analytic mind. They had managed to make their differences work; compliment each other. Both aspects were important in their missions.

"Eh", shrugged Rachel, watching out of the corner of her eyes how Piper and Nyssa whispered softly with each other, both still blushing. "There's more important things to focus on."

"The new first years seem to be an interesting bunch", offered Reyna to change the topic.

"I kno—ow. One is my little cousin", grinned Rachel excitedly. "Her name's Ella. She's precious."

"Alabaster's little sister Lou Ellen is in the first years too", noted Reyna. "So is Nico's."

"And Katie's, Miranda Gardner", added Annabeth curiously. "I suppose it figures. Many younger siblings look up to their older siblings. And... this _is_ a great career opportunity."

"I worry about Ella. I just want her to find her place too", sighed Rachel after a moment. "I like our team. I think some of you guys could think a little less with your libido, but overall... we're good."

"I'm sure your cousin will do fine too", assured Reyna with a smile.

"Mhmh. Now... Let's focus on us, on the now", requested Rachel, tapping the sheet of paper in front of them. "What do we have to expect up there? I mean, I know, in vagueness, but..."

"But you hope us with older siblings have some insider knowledge", chuckled Reyna. "Hylla said that we'll be inspected up there and while being told explicitly that it is not a race, they _do_ note who makes it first. They'll check our rations, state of the ship and crew. We are going to spend two full nights up on the satellite. Tonight there'll be a debriefing on our trip up here. There'll be a mock-fight tomorrow, so the fighters can prove themselves too. A simulation of being attacked by enemies. Classes in the evening and by Sunday morning, we're expected to return to Earth."

"I'm looking forward to the fighting part", declared Annabeth, smiling like a shark.

The way Reyna looked at her at that made Rachel roll her eyes again. Why was everyone so horny? Were it the skin-tight uniforms, the enclosed space? She smiled a bit when she saw Piper gently peck Nyssa's lips. Let it be known that Rachel wasn't _against_ romance. Only when it clouded their minds and distracted from the mission ahead. Something that could become a serious problem in a real, actual mission where there would not be a simulation, only a proper fight.

/break\

Nico was, once again, stuck sharing a cabin with Jason. It made sense, both were guys and both were alphas, they roomed together in their dorms too. However, Jason pouting that his girlfriend was on another ship? Not the most enjoyable roommate. They had arrived second at the satellite – which was impressive, out of twelve. They had sat through a mind-numbingly boring debriefing. And then they had gotten the rest of the day off. This whole thing could be shortened by a lot, but part of the test was to live in the space of their ship. Nico and Jason had sparred in the training room in their ship, after dinner. Tomorrow, it was their turn to prove them.

"Thalia's team was first", offered Jason after a stretch of silence. "I mean. So was Bianca's, since they're on the same team. But... I don't know. Feels like... competition, doesn't it?"

"What we're doomed for by having older sisters in the same school", shrugged Nico.

He didn't see it too much as competition, really. He knew both him and Bianca had to be excellent so they would survive the war when they left for Pluto. To Jason and Thalia, it was allowed to just be a competition. Playful. Terran explorers got to be mostly peaceful, unless they ran into any rebels or war-zones. But Earth itself wasn't at war with anyone. For them, it was different.

/break\

Percy had taken months to actually get used to fighting as a Neptunian. The agility and speed he gained in that form were astonishing. Seeing Nico fight in the air, with his strong black wings spread out far as he attacked fiercely. Jason had worked his ass off training his lightning-control with his sister; she had taught him all the tricks he needed to know. Reyna's natural greater physical strength and Annabeth's ability to turn invisible. The five of them were a great team – they had trained a lot with each other over the summer, to be as in tune with each other's bodies as possible. Piper too, she wasn't much for hand-to-hand, but she had picked a lot up with a knife, trained with Annabeth. They kicked butt, to say it as it was. Highest score in the fight simulation.

"I am dead on my feet", groaned Percy as he exited the shower.

Their ship was smaller, so there was only one communal bathroom. Which meant after a day like today, they had to take turns. They also had to watch out; the ship would be rated again when they returned to Earth tomorrow. Like the hours long fight simulation hadn't been enough, they had to sit through a debriefing class about that after too – going through the videos, analyzing every single mistake or misstep they had made. Everything. It was good, helpful, but also exhausting.

"Sit with me?", offered Nico gently, spreading his legs some and indicating the place between.

An offer Percy certainly wasn't going to refuse. The ship had a large common room for the crew – for team-gathering, debriefings, recreational purposes. Right now, Nico, Jason, Grover, Jake and Nyssa were playing poker in it. Reyna and Piper were doing homework in a corner, while Rachel and Juniper were eating midnight snacks, watching something on the big screen with Will and Chris. Percy snatched a sandwich off Rachel's plate before he made his way to Nico's lap.

"Wanna be dealt in?", asked Jake curiously, watching their captain.

"My brain is mush. No", huffed Percy, eyes closed as he curled against Nico. "Just nap."

"And tomorrow we're going to return home", noted Jake. "Honestly. This... went smoother than I expected. It was... kind of fun? The race, the sleepover. The test was fun to watch."

"Because you didn't have to get your ass kicked", grunted Piper pointedly.

"Poor babe", whispered Nyssa softly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "You looked hot kicking ass."

That did make Piper perk up some, prompting Reyna next to her to roll her eyes bemused. Percy smiled as he watched them. Jake was right though. For as much as he had fretted about this, it had not just gone better than expected, but it had also been actual _fun_. Maybe being captain wasn't as bad as he had feared it would be. They had done good, after all. Under his leadership.

/break\

Having Nico off-planet actually made things easier on Hazel; no looming big brother. Their little study-circle had gained two more members – Cecil and Tyson. They were roommates, Cecil having befriended Lou Ellen and her having suggested for them to join their group.

"The mission must be so much fun", sighed Leo softly. "Traveling off-planet? Even just to a satellite. I can't wait for us to be in our second year. I wanna be a pilot, you know?"

"Heh. Me too", offered Cecil with a grin. "It sounds the most fun, honestly."

"Well, that and working on the ship – like, repairing it and stuff", tagged Leo on excitedly. "I _love_ building stuff! My mom, she runs a car-shop, taught me everything. Now I know that a space-ship isn't a car, but... I mean, it's not _that_ different, is it?"

"You're enthusiastic", noted Hazel with a soft little smile.

Leo was cute. His excitement was contagious and he was a lot of fun. The two were quickly becoming good friends, even though the semester had only just started. Though the same went for Frank, Ella and Miranda. Leo had particularly befriended Lou Ellen and Tyson. They all worked pretty well together and Hazel couldn't help but hope that they may become a great team. She knew her older siblings had been lucky with their teams. She was the youngest, she had a lot to catch up on, compared to them – and she had no plans of being left behind. Not just in the sense of the things they knew, but also when they were going to leave for Pluto. She was going with them, whether they liked it or not. Bianca, she was less argumentative about it, but Nico was incredibly protective of her and if it went according to his wishes, she's stay behind with their moms.

"I want to become a mechanic too", said Tyson after a beat, smiling. "I like putting things together."

He was a Neptunian. Hazel knew that Neptune and Pluto had always been close with each other. She knew in another life, if there was no war, she would have attended grand balls on Neptune, as a royal guest. Not be here on Earth, meeting the Neptunian princess as her teacher. There was so much she had missed out on – her parents and oldest siblings, most of all. She couldn't wait to meet them, in that respect she was even more motivated to return to Pluto than her siblings were.

"I think you should dabble in magic with me, Haze", noted Lou Ellen. "You may not be Eridian, but you _definitely_ have a talent for it. Maybe someone upper in your family tree was from Eris?"

Hazel smiled faintly. They did have magic running in their family, but not all members of the royal family could wield it. She would like to train and learn more, to be as useful as she could, to her siblings, her parents and to her planet. She was going to become a captain, and a magic user.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to shine a little more light on our newbie next generation and how they fit among the second and third years!
> 
> And if I might redirect your attention for a second to an upcoming fic of mine, because on November 7th, I'll post the first chapter of a multi-chapter superhero AU for Nico/Jason/Percy called "The Legacy of the Big Three", so if you don't mind a bit of Jason to your Nicercy, go check that out when it comes out! ;)


	13. The Next Generation

_Chapter 13: The Next Generation_

"Leo's kinda cute, right? I mean, objectively speaking."

Ella giggled as she leaned closer to Hazel. "I think Tyson is cuter."

Now, Hazel also giggled. The two of them were sitting together on the bench, watching Leo, Frank, Cecil, Mitchell, Austin and Tyson play basketball three-on-three. It was fun! Both, watching the boys play and have fun, but also talking to Ella like this. Talking about boys. Hazel had never done that before. She was still young, this was still so new. It made her feel all warm-cheeked to say stuff like this, but it was so cool to have a friend who would whisper with her like this, giggle about them. She never got to just be... girly. She liked being girly, but at home, she always felt the pressure of being something she didn't know how to be. A princess. Heir to the throne and a long line of legacy. Bianca was so strong, she _never_ talked about boys and she was so oriented in what they were all aiming for – to become stronger and return to Pluto. That goal was the only thing that mattered to Bianca. Hazel had never really _seen_ a girl do... girly things. But sometimes, Hazel wanted to do girly things. Wear a pretty dress, talk about boys, _not_ think about the war. And then she would feel selfish for it, because their family was still up there, in danger. But here, in this school, with Ella and Miranda and Lou Ellen, she felt like she just... got to be a kid. Be a girl.

"You guys have weird taste", declared Lou Ellen and wiggled her nose.

"I think Frank is really cute", injected Lacy, giggling a bit. "Like, when he gets all enthusiastic about that game he has been teaching us? The Mythomagic? His whole face lights up!"

Hazel bit her lip and tilted her head. That was true. Frank was all bright and excited. And the game was fun – all of them had started to meet together and play every Sunday. Hazel, Ella, Cecil, Leo, Lou Ellen and Miranda usually and, lately, also occasionally Mitchell, Austin, Lacy and/or Kayla, always depending on who even had time, of course.

For the first time, Hazel made real friends. She had never done that before, because they always had the mission on their minds and they had their identities to hide – not letting people close was the best way to keep them safe and to keep their own identities hidden. But here? She needed to grow closer to those people, they were supposed to become her team.

/break\

Dates were a fun thing. Percy liked them. He'd never really _been_ on dates before. Then again, he never _really_ had a boyfriend before. He figured that kindergarten holding hands and kissing cheeks didn't quite count. Being with Nico was – it was amazing. Just... being. They didn't even have to _do_ anything, simply lay together in silence, Percy running his fingers through Nico's feathers, Nico running his through Percy's fur. Then there was the reassurance. Nico was so – _helpful_. Whenever Percy felt unsure about his decisions as team-leader, Nico would back him up.

"What are you doing, gattino?", asked Nico curiously.

He approached Percy and sat down right behind Percy, resting his chin on Percy's shoulders and wrapping his wings around them. In front of Percy were papers, a lot of papers.

"...What _are_ you doing?", asked Nico once more, furrowing his brows.

"Research on Neptune. Rhode did tell me... what... places on Neptune people with our patterns live. Migration is... pretty much not a thing on Neptune itself. I mean, like, sure, she can live here on Earth, but on Neptune itself? Neptunians develop according to the environment. Much like... fishes on Earth, you can't just put a fresh-water fish into the sea, you know. So... she narrowed it down."

Nico hummed as he checked the map. "Well, that... doesn't narrow it down _too much_. That's the capital of Neptune. The most populated area on the planet."

"It's more than I had a year ago", countered Percy with a small grin. "Heh. Just imagine, if I ever actually get to Neptune, going through the city like 'Excuse me, have you perhaps had a short-lived affair on Earth in December 1992...? That's gonna go smooth."

"What do you mean 'if'?", asked Nico with furrowed brows.

He pulled Percy closer, nosing his neck gently, until Percy giggled a little at how much it tickled. "I mean, Neptune's not exactly around the corner. It... is _literally_ the planet _the_ farthest away from Earth in our solar system. The only ones farther are dwarf planets."

"I know. I am the prince of one of them", quipped Nico dryly. "Still, Percy. You... You're going to become a captain. Depending on your career choices, it's fairly likely you'll end up on Neptune at some point. Terra is in an alliance with Neptune and the..."

He stopped himself, turning away a little, not looking at Percy anymore. Making a small sound, Percy turned around so he could face his boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around Nico, resting his cheek against Nico's chest. The war had Neptune pulled in the middle of it all. They were fighting for Pluto and sooner or later, they would be invaded too during this war.

"Do you wanna go for a hunt tomorrow?", asked Percy to change the topic.

"It's a full-moon. Those are perfect for hunting", purred Nico pleased.

Percy laughed softly at the purring sound, reaching out to run his fingers through the soft, black feathers. The purring increased as Nico seemed to melt in Percy's embrace, resting his chin on Percy's shoulder and stretching his wings wide for better access.

/break\

Rhode knew she was growing far too attached to Percy. She could no longer tell whether she genuinely thought that Percy might be part of the extended royal family tree, or if she just _really_ wanted that to be true because she wanted Percy to be a part of her family. The boy knew how to brighten a room when he entered it, he knew how to _inspire_ people, to gain their loyalty. That team of his, they had his back because they trusted him, they knew he could lead them. One day, Rhode knew, Percy was going to be an amazing leader. A captain or general, who knew.

"Excuse me, Miss Rhode?"

"Yes, come in." Rhode looked up curiously, watching her office door open.

She was mildly surprised to see Mrs. Blofis enter. "I... bring you cookies?"

"Cookies?", echoed Rhode, even more surprised.

Laughing sheepishly, Sally put the container with cookies – a _big_ container – down on the desk. "Well, I was... baking. Maybe a bit too much. And I figured, with everything you've been doing for my son in recent months... Have some cookies?"

She offered Rhode a kind smile. The sort of smile that reminded her of her mother and immediately made Rhode miss her home and family. She knew her parents had partially sent her away to be sure she would be safe. The war was closing in on Neptune. Danger was rising. Unlike Triton, Proteus and Kymopoleia, Rhode was not a warrior. She was a book-worm.

"Sit with me, have some cookies?", asked Rhode with a small smile.

"Well, they are very good cookies, I gotta say", chuckled Sally.

She sat down with Rhode and the two each grabbed a cookie. For a bit, Rhode simply watched Sally, observing all the similarities between the woman and Percy that she could spot.

"Can you... tell me anything about Percy's father?", asked Rhode after a while.

"I..." Sally paused, furrowing her brows. "He was a handsome and charming man. He went by the name Don, which... is not as unique as one would want it to be. He had Percy's eyes, you know."

"Green eyes, handsome and only a first-name really isn't much to go by", Rhode sighed.

"I know. It... was on purpose. We both only wanted a... fling. No strings attached. Sharing about our family or past was something we both agreed we don't want to do. Percy... wasn't planned." Sally sighed and made a face. "I always feel like that sounds awful and he is the best accident I could imagine, I would _never_ want to imagine a life without him. But if I had known... This wasn't what I would have wanted for my child. To not know his father."

"For what it's worth, I think you picked him an excellent father", offered Rhode with a kind smile. "Paul loves and supports him. And you love and support him."

Sally smiled, albeit it was a little forced. She knew those things herself, but she still wished she could have given Percy this. Sighing, Rhode reached for another cookie. They really were excellent.

/break\

Beckendorf smiled as he oversaw the hanger. Being a third-year, he usually gave some special classes and tutoring to the younger engineers and mechanics. Maintaining a ship was hard work, some took that too lightly. And regular classes couldn't cover _everything_.

"You have such dad-genes", noted Silena softly.

She smiled as she kissed him on the cheek, handing him a cupcake. Honestly, he didn't know what he'd do without his girlfriend. Probably starve to death while working on the ship. He tended to have a one-track-mind then and forget everything around him. The amazing thing about Silena was that she _understood_ that – she didn't chide him for forgetting things or make fun of him like some people did. She was always understanding and thoughtful.

"I like helping", grumbled Beckendorf as he accepted the cupcake.

Silena just smiled at him and then turned to follow his line of sight. Jake and Nyssa were working on the Princess Andromeda. The two of them were very hardworking – and excited. They held the same kind of passion and enthusiasm for engineering as Charles did.

"Hey, you guys wanna take a break and a cupcake?", called Silena out.

Both their heads turned at 'cupcake'. After quickly cleaning their hands, they hurried over to Charles and Silena and accepted the offered baked goods. With broad, pleased grins did they sit down on the ground with the couple. This was one of the qualities of Beckendorf's that Silena loved a lot. He took the young ones under his wing, just like Silena did herself on the swim-team.

"I heard your team was doing really well on the weekend challenge", noted Silena.

"Ye—eah. It's because we got a pretty competent captain", declared Jake with a grin.

"I mean, each member of our team is competent. But... Percy brings us together? Perfect cogs but someone's gotta set them right", offered Nyssa after a moment.

"Good leadership is what makes or breaks a team", agreed Beckendorf.

"So... anyone know who the little runt is who keeps sniffing around here?", asked Nyssa slowly.

She jerked her head toward where some scrawny little first year was trying to sneakily make his way from ship to ship, thinking he had gone unnoticed so far. Beckendorf huffed amused.

"Hey, kiddo. Come get a cupcake", called Beckendorf out.

The kid froze on the spot, before slowly turning around, pointing at himself as though to ask whether they were talking to him. Rolling his eyes, Beckendorf nodded and motioned at the cupcakes. After another moment of reluctance did the kid approach them.

"Uh... I... I know first-semesters aren't allowed into the hanger...", drawled the kid.

"Can you _look_ any more like a kicked puppy?", snorted Nyssa amused. "We're not gonna tattle on you, you know. It wouldn't make you much of an engineer if you _didn't_ try to get in here."

"Yeah. All the best of us did it in our first semester", declared Jake proudly. "Here. Cupcake."

He threw a cupcake at the first-semester, who caught it with a startled look. "I'm Nyssa. This is Jake and those are Beckendorf and his lovely, very talented girlfriend Silena. Cupcakes courtesy of said talent. Who are you, kid?"

"I'm... I'm Leo Valdez, it's nice to meet you all."

"You're adorable", noted Silena with a smile as she handed him a second cupcake. "How are you liking the academy so far? Is your roommate nice to you? Have you made friends?"

Leo looked a bit overwhelmed by the questions and the now two cupcakes that he was holding. "Uh... my roommate Frank's cute – I mean cool. He's pretty cool. And... I guess I made a couple friends? It's... nice. I'm... I'm liking it here, though it's kind of... a lot."

"Ye—eah, it is", huffed Nyssa and stretched out. "Wait till you get a girlfriend, your schedule will be even more packed. Though, gotta say, worth the juggling."

She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at Leo, laughing as the kid blushed awkwardly at her words. Silena huffed, glaring chidingly at Nyssa for flustering the poor first semester. Nyssa simply shrugged unapologetically and reached for a second cupcake.

"You're welcome to join and _observe_, when there is no school instructor around. But you need to be careful not to let anyone catch you _and_ I can't let you work on anything, because if something happens, well", drawled Beckendorf. "That sound good to you, kid?"

"Yes!", exclaimed Leo enthusiastically, eyes large. "I already know my way around a garage! My mom runs one! She taught me _everything_. Well, about cars. But I'm a quick study."

"I'm sure you are", grinned Jake and reached out to ruffle Leo's curls.

/break\

Clarisse smirked pleased as she had Percy pinned to the mat again. He glared up at her in defiance, as he always did when he lost. Granted, their matches were _relatively_ even. What Percy lacked in brutal force, he made up for in swiftness and, though Clarisse would never admit it, brains. The boy was pretty clever. Quick on his feet. He could judge a situation and conclude what to do with it within split-seconds. It was what made their matches so very engaging, because they had different approaches to fighting. Grunting pleased, Clarisse leaned back.

"You win _this round_, but I'll win the next", declared Percy with a pout.

"Sure thing, kitty-cat", snorted Clarisse and grabbed two water-bottles.

She threw one over at Percy, who quickly caught it. The two sat up against the wall, watching the gym. Hylla and Reyna were going head to head with each other, the sisters never pulling their punches with each other. The only others in the room with them were two first semesters.

"The big guy, I've seen him around you a lot", grunted Clarisse.

"Tyson. He's a Neptunian. Rhode introduced us in the first week and it seems like he... is as excited about meeting another Neptunian as I am. He's a good kid though."

Clarisse hummed at that. That was where Percy's truest strength laid – he was a brilliant judge in character. He saw... potential in people. Clarisse huffed when the two first semesters landed on their asses, her laughter attracting their attention, both boys looking embarrassed.

"C'mere, you two. Take a break. And then we split up and Jackson and I are gonna teach you a thing or two, okay?", called Clarisse out. "We have cooled water."

"Thank you...", drawled the other boy. "Uh. I'm Frank. That's Tyson."

"Frank, that's Percy! I told you about him!", exclaimed Tyson excitedly.

Clarisse snorted amused at that, while Percy high-fived Tyson. The two boys sat down, completely exhausted and grabbed the chilled water. Those two really needed to train a lot; they lacked stamina. First semesters, really. They gotta start training _before_ signing up for the academy.

"You, kid", grunted Clarisse, jerking her head toward Frank. "You drop your guard too much and your stamina sucks. Don't worry, it's gonna kick in when you come into your heritage fully."

Frank made a bit of a face. "Can't wait for it. Training is... killing me."

"Oh, not with that attitude", warned Clarisse pointedly. "If you want me to teach you, I need you to _want this_ like you never wanted anything before in your life. Got that, Fritz?"

"Frank", protested the boy, voice cracking a little as Clarisse glared. "Or Fritz. Fritz is fine."

"Clarisse, if you're being mean to the first year, I'll tell Silena", snickered Percy.

He knew that was the _only_ threat that worked on Clarisse, who now glared at him for it.

/break\

Ella was a bookworm. She _loved_ the library. Back home, the other kids always thought her weird for spending so much time at the library, preferring books to playing. Now? Here? People were grateful for her knowledge, they sought her out. Or they would actually go with her to the library! To study together! Her older cousin Rachel had been the one to push for Ella to go to the academy, Ella's parents had thought it wasn't the right place for Ella – because it was much about fighting and physical training. But they also needed strategists. Brains behind the operations.

"Hey, Ella. You done with homework soon?", asked Hazel softly.

Ella blinked owlishly and turned toward her roommate. "Yes?"

"Great! Wanna go on a flight with us? Come on!", declared Hazel with a bright grin.

Hazel was amazing. She was kind and sweet and friendly. She didn't think Ella was weird for preferring books and even though Ella said 'no, thank you' three out of four times, Hazel never got annoyed with Ella and she still kept asking and including Ella, so that one out of four times that Ella _did_ want to do something, she could, because she was still being invited. Smiling at Hazel, Ella packed her books away and grabbed her bag to follow Hazel out of the library.

"You will be a very good team-leader", declared Ella.

"Huh? Where did that come from?", asked Hazel with a small, surprised laugh.

"You're... kind and understanding. You know when to lead people and when you shouldn't push people. You will be our team-leader when we enter our second year", elaborated Ella.

"We're barely halfway into our first semester! I think you're getting ahead of things there", argued Hazel, looking a bit flustered. "I don't know if _I_ am cut out to be a leader..."

"Yes, you are", stated Ella, not leaving room for arguments. "Besides, cousin Rachel says that it is _important_ to keep your goals in clear sight if you want to make it here. If you don't have your goals set and go in with an attitude that you _can_ do it... what is the point in trying? We _are_ going to make it into our second year and then we will become a very good team, with a very good leader."

The smile on Ella's lips was so optimistic, it even had Hazel believe it, despite not really seeing herself as a leader. She had always seen the leadership qualities in her older sister Bianca, she was a regal princess, who could one day be a great queen, but Hazel? She was the youngest sister, not in direct line for the throne, really. But she liked that attitude. What's the point of trying if you don't believe you can do it? She smiled as she took Ella's hand.

"Hey, girls. Glad you could make it. We were about to take off without you."

Bianca smiled at them in a welcoming manner as Hazel and Ella reached the other winged campus members. There were regularly scheduled group flights, organized by the school – as both a bonding and a training exercise. Those with wings, they couldn't be grounded all the time, they needed to spread their wings, quite literally. Hazel huffed amused as she saw Nico and Percy, holding both of each other's hands and nose-kissing.

"It's so cheesy, make them stop", sighed Hazel, grinning.

"I think it's cute", chimed Leo in. "Hello, Hazel."

He offered her a small smile and she bit her lip, her eyes finding his leather dragon-wings. They were magnificent. She loved flying with him. Bianca cleared her throat, gaining their attention and tearing Nico away from his Percy too so they could take off as a group. Hazel grinned as she found herself between her brother and her sister. She loved that free feeling of flying with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we're closing in on leaving the school/Earth arc of this story! One more chapter to go on that ;)


	14. News

_Chapter 14: News_

It was Sunday morning and Percy woke up in Nico's arms. The sun was tickling his nose, birds were chiming above. It was the _perfect_ morning. Percy smiled as he turned to nose Nico's neck. They had another flight/run last night, but this time, they had come farther than usual, so in the end their group had decided to crash in a clearing. When Percy rolled over, he found Bianca and Hazel cuddled up to each other, the older di Angelo having her wings around her little sister.

"Good morning, Percy! Do you wanna go for a swim?"

Blinking, Percy looked past the di Angelos to see a wide-awake Tyson sitting together with Ella Dare. Ella was adorable. She was also Rachel's younger cousin. It showed in the bright, red hair the most, Percy though. The two were very close, it was cute to see Rachel help Ella with her studies and encourage the younger, because Ella was struggling with the more physical aspects of school.

"Morning, you two", greeted Percy as he slowly sat up and stretched far. "A... swim?"

"Yes! We found a lake around the corner when we were looking for breakfast. Also we found breakfast", declared Ella with a bright smile, her red wings twitching.

"...Berries and bark?", asked Percy dryly.

"Doughnuts and scones", countered Ella, lifting a bag up. "There's a gas station not far ahead."

"O—Oh, that sounds _way_ better", groaned Percy relieved. "Okay, a doughnut and then a swim."

"I bought you a blue one, I know you like blue food", declared Tyson proudly.

It had been admittedly a little weird when Tyson had immediately latched onto him when they had first met and for the first part, it had felt a bit overwhelming to have this kid adore him like that. But by now, after months of getting to know Tyson, Percy had to admit that he had started to look at Tyson as a little brother too. He had always wanted siblings, after all.

"The run on land is always a great exercise, but it leaves you antsy for... more", offered Percy as he finished off his doughnut. "We _are_ meant to race in water, not air."

Tyson nodded wildly and he eagerly followed as Percy got up. The two of them walked over toward what was indeed a _beautiful_ small lake. Eagerly, they stripped down to their underwear and jumped in. It was strange, how much being engulfed in water felt like being _home_. It soothed and relaxed Percy, it made him feel stronger and more confident. Things that seemed like problems he had to deal with outside the water seemed so small when he was in here, like all the answers were right in front of him and he could solve any problem. He smiled as he saw the fishes swim below. Mh, a doughnut had been a nice start into the day but now he really craved fish. His eyes narrowed on one particularly delicious looking specimen. Nice, big. Enough for him and his alpha. Percy _loved_ how happy Nico always got when Percy brought him food, all proud of his omega's hunting abilities.

He smiled victoriously as he emerged from the water with his prey between his fangs.

"You are _really_ good at this!", exclaimed Tyson excitedly.

Percy laughed as he put the fish down at the shore. "You... have a whole lot of energy. You need to learn to calm down and focus during your hunt, that's all. You'll learn it too."

Smiling, Percy turned to watch Tyson for a bit. Tyson's fur was hazel, without a pattern. Part of Percy was a bit envious that Tyson already had all of that, while Percy had to wait for so long to present and had to learn everything from scratch. The other part, the bigger part, felt bad for Tyson, because Ty had always felt _different_ and always been _alone_ with that. For Percy, the otherness had only come when he already had a support-system and even someone else to mentor him. Tyson, he had grown up in orphanages, all alone, the only Neptunian around, no guidance.

"Race me around the lake?", requested Tyson hopefully.

"Mh... Loser buys lunch tomorrow?", suggested Percy with a broad grin.

Tyson laughed in agreement as the two started swimming. They raced around five, six times, before they called it a draw and sank down onto the bottom of the lake. Both laid with their arms and legs sprawled out, staring up out into the sky through the lake's sparkly surface. Percy loved the view from the bottom of a lake, it gave him such a unique perspective of the world. After resting for a little bit, Percy rolled onto his stomach and started running his fingers through the sand.

"_What are you doing, Percy?_", asked Tyson confused.

"_Looking for something shiny_", declared Percy. "_Pretty rock. Shell. Sea glass. Love sea glass_."

"_Hu—uh. Whatcha gonna do with it? Just collect because it's pretty?_", asked Tyson.

"_For Nico! Well. And collecting. Ever since I presented, I've really enjoyed collecting shiny things I find at the bottom of lakes and rivers. It seems to be instinctual_", replied Percy. "_I... don't know if Nico really appreciates getting random rocks? But so far he hasn't complained_."

Percy grinned pleased as he found one that he liked. It was nearly pitch-black and nicely smooth. Nico was going to like this one. The omega grabbed it and then motioned for Tyson to follow him back up to the surface so they could return to the others. They wouldn't be staying too long at the clearing either – even though Percy, Tyson and Ella had been the first ones awake.

/break\

Jason grinned amused to himself as his roommate returned home with yet another random stone. The look on Nico's face alone was amazing, he looked _so_ proud. Humming to himself, Nico got the wooden box out from beneath his bed. It was gorgeous, with intricate carvings.

"Okay, I _gotta_ ask. What's with that rock-collection? Is that a Plutonian-thing?", asked Jason.

He sat up on his bed, watching Nico. The Plutonian furrowed his brows in confusion, before he understood what Jason was talking about. Laughing softly to himself, Nico got up to sit down next to Jason on the bed, holding the open box so Jason could see the contents.

"It's a Neptunian-thing, not a Plutonian-thing", replied Nico softly.

"...What?", grunted Jason confused. "What... does that even mean?"

"I have been getting these from _Percy_. It's... courting", explained Nico, blushing faintly. "On Neptune, the omega courts the alpha, with precious stones they find. These... are what Percy deems precious stones on Earth. And... he's... he's been picking them _for me_ and giving them to me."

"Oh. Holy shit. Isn't courting like a big deal? I mean, I don't know _anyone_ who is courting! We're like seventeen, isn't that too young to be engaged?", sputtered Jason. "And it's so sudden-"

"_Breathe_, Grace", interrupted Nico with an eye-roll. "It's not like that. Courting... Courting is more like... a show of your... feelings for the other. Courting can last for years. And it doesn't _have_ to lead to a matebond – I mean, like an engagement doesn't have to lead to marriage, but still it's... it's different. It just... It means that Percy is developing very serious feelings for me, that he is... thinking of me when he sees something he deems precious and _wants me to have it_."

"That... does sound nice", hummed Jason, offering a lopsided grin. "Daw."

"Don't get like that", warned Nico pointedly. "Don't be cheesy."

"But you guys are so—o cu—ute", cooed Jason with a snicker.

"Urgh. I hate you", grunted Nico and grabbed the pillow in an attempt to smother Jason.

"Hey, stop trying to murder me-", yelped Jason as he dodged Nico.

Nico simply smirked and opted to hit Jason repeatedly with the pillow. How had he ended up here? With a dorky best friend, with a cute boyfriend who was _courting_ him, just... being _happy_...?

"So—o, what are you going to do?", asked Jason curiously when they ceased fire.

Both were exhausted and their hair was a mess as they came to collapse on Jason's bed next to each other. "Huh...? What do you mean what am I going to do?"

"Well. I mean. What's Plutonian courting like? If Percy is courting _you_, shouldn't like... you be courting him back, or... how does that work? Jupiter kind of doesn't _do_ courting", asked Jason.

"I... don't really know. Most of our courting rituals are... avian", sighed Nico frustrated.

"...Heh?", grunted Jason, blinking a couple times.

"There is the courting dance, which is performed airborne. It's... you fly with each other. Can't do that because Percy doesn't have wings. We would groom each other's wings. Which. Again. Can't do that because Percy doesn't have wings. We would _create_ things with... feathers. Ornaments, jewelry. Made from _both_ our feathers. Which..."

"Yeah, yeah, I am starting to sense a theme here", sighed Jason, waving his hands. "So what, you guys don't have courting rituals that _don't_ involve feathers and wings?"

"I don't know", muttered Nico frustrated. "Maria and Marie are both airborne, they courted the classic way. My... birth mother, she is... she is from Ceres, she doesn't have wings. My father, he... he would be able to offer me some insight, if I could... talk to him."

"...I'm sorry, man", whispered Jason softly, pulling Nico into a hug.

"Don't smother me with affection, I don't like this affection", hissed Nico.

"Stop fighting it, bro, you know you love me", laughed Jason, only hugging him tighter.

"...Is there something I should know? Because this is... This looks like I walked in on something."

Both Jason and Nico – ruffled hair, messy clothes, wrestling on the bed – looked up at the door, where a very amused Percy was standing, his eyebrows raised high. Nico immediately bolted away from Jason, motioning awkwardly between himself and Jason while shaking his head.

"I _swear_ it is not what it looked like-", exclaimed Nico quickly, raising his hands high.

"...Well, now I have questions, because _to me_, this looks like you two dorks were having a pillow fight, but if that's not what it was... tell me what it really is", drawled Percy, eyebrows raised.

Nico flushed, while Jason laughed. "Yeah no that was exactly what it was."

"Great. I bring baked goods from my mom. Wanna have some, or do you have to finish your duel to the death first and only the winner gets food?", asked Percy amused.

He sat down at the foot-end of Jason's bed and immediately had both alphas' attention on him. It was cute, the way they looked at him like eager puppies waiting for treats. Grinning, Percy opened the box and let both of them take what they wanted.

"How was dinner with your parents, amore?", asked Nico gently.

"Well, as always, awesome. Though dad's refusing to help me cheat on his exam", sighed Percy with a fake pout. "How am I from this family of goodie-two-shoes? I am his only son! You would think he'd want to help me succeed!"

"Well, he does. But actually have you succeed on your own merits, not by cheating", argued Nico.

"Urgh. Another goodie-two-shoes", hissed Percy playfully.

"All I'm hearing is 'Nico fits perfectly into your family'", offered Jason with his mouth full.

Both Nico and Percy blushed at that, making Jason snort in amusement.

/break\

Hazel was making friends. And Bianca was... happy for her. She smiled to herself as she watched her younger sister in the gym; Hazel, Ella, Lou Ellen and Miranda against Tyson, Leo, Frank and Cecil in a game of soccer. Hazel was laughing so freely and brightly, it made Bianca smile.

"Hey there. No slacking off to watch your baby sis."

She jumped slightly as she was gently tapped on the head by a wooden staff. Turning around, she faced Thalia, who started at her in utter bemusement. For the most part, Thalia understood what Bianca felt – she too had a little sister and a little brother she loved, who were both at the academy. There was just one aspect Thalia could never understand – the royal aspect. A part of Bianca had never been able to shake the royal palace off; keep your guard up, you can't just befriend _everyone_. Another part was so deeply worried about their secret, to keep it... Sure, she had befriended Thalia, Zoe and Phoebe too, but very, _very_ reluctantly. Nico, she knew, had just been... dragged into it all, somehow. But Hazel? People were flocking to her.

"She reminds me of our mom. Our... birth mom", whispered Bianca with a wavering voice.

Thalia frowned at that and stepped up closer to Bianca. She put the staff on the ground with one tip and leaned herself onto the other side, tilting her head as she also watched Hazel and the other first semesters. Well, for now. The semester was nearly over, they would be second semesters soon.

"That's what the queen's like?", asked Thalia curiously.

"_Seriously_, did my siblings put an add up when they joined-?", asked Bianca annoyed.

"Girl, you don't think that my brother figured things out after rooming with yours for a few months and I didn't figure it out in two and a half years?", snorted Thalia amused, elbowing Bianca. "I mean, I admit, it took me a while, but not _that_ long. So. Tell me about your mom."

"She... She is _so_ bright. Her smiles lit up the room. Everyone adored her. She wasn't even Plutonian herself, but all of Pluto loved her. She inspired people, made them _want_ to follow her."

"Sounds pretty special", hummed Thalia, voice soft.

"She was. Is. She _is_", replied Bianca, voice breaking just a little. "I... I miss her _so much_. When Hazel smiles like that, when she has everyone flock around her like that... I see mamma in her."

Thalia sighed and wrapped an arm around Bianca, pulling her closer. "Little siblings, huh."

"Ye—eah", laughed Bianca, swallowing the tears back down again.

/break\

Nico groaned and kicked back as he laid sprawled out behind the ships with his friends Alabaster, Ethan, Reyna and Jason. E and Al had raced them with their team. It was part of training, they _had_ to learn control at high speed. High speed chases through obstacle courses, because they might always end up on the run, they needed to know how to navigate through asteroid fields.

"Well, that was surprisingly exhausting despite us being _in_ a ship", grunted Alabaster.

"When it's a race through dangerous territory, that's an all hands on deck situation. No time to just laze about, you know", huffed Reyna amused. "It's high-stakes."

"I think I'll start looking for a different, calmer job after all", drawled Al.

"No, you won't", snorted Nico amused. "I know you're committed to this."

"Eh, don't call me out like that", grunted Alabaster and rolled over to hide in Ethan's chest.

"Had _anyone_ seen my Nico?", called Percy from somewhere.

"Here", chorused Jason, Reyna, Alabaster and Ethan immediately.

"I am so—o tired and I need some Nico-cuddles for recharge before I go after my captainly duties of comparing notes and debriefing with the instructor", groaned Percy.

Moments later and the omega collapsed face-first on top of Nico, burying his face in his alpha's chest. Nico smiled pleased as he wrapped his arms around Percy's waist, pulling him close and burying his nose in Percy's soft hair. Nico prided himself on how Percy found comfort with him.

"The bureaucratic parts are what I do _not_ envy you about", drawled Jason.

Percy glowered at him but didn't argue. That _was_ what he didn't like about all of this either, after all. The mission itself had already been exhausting, but for him to have to deal with debriefings was really frustrating. Yawning, Percy stretched out, rubbing his nose along Nico's collarbone.

"Today was good though", offered Nico, playing with Percy's hair. "We're... on top of the class."

They were. Percy could _feel_ Drew's eyes boring into him from across the room; she liked to be on top and while Percy did really enjoy the competition – genuinely did, because working hard to surpass someone else and constantly improving themselves – sometimes, it was tiresome.

/break\

Percy and Nico had been out on a date, dinner and a movie. Nico loved when they did something so... incredibly _normal_. Something he would never be able to have on Pluto, as a prince. The two were holding hands as they reached Nico's room. The soft smile on Nico's lips slipped when he opened his dorm's door to find his sisters both sitting on his bed. It was weird to have them wait for him after a date, but even more so... with those looks on their faces.

"Bia? Haze?", asked Nico slowly, drawing his eyebrows together.

Percy closed the door behind them, looking confused from one of the siblings to the other. Then Hazel _sobbed_, turning toward Bianca, who immediately wrapped her arms around her sister.

"Wh... What is... What is going on?", asked Nico, dreading the answer.

"It's been all over the news for the past hour. You... Our parents. Kronos... took over Pluto."

"What do you mean took over? What happened to our parents?"

Nico's voice grew louder, more demanding, his wings raising on their own. What was Bianca talking about? This was impossible. The war had always been close, but... no.

"We don't know. The news, they didn't... they only showed what Kronos presented. He captured our parents. We don't know what happened beyond that", replied Bianca.

Nico's eyes were wild as he looked around the room, at his sisters – crying, devastated – at his boyfriend – confused, trying to figure out how to help out – and then to the door. He _couldn't_. This couldn't be true and he couldn't be with his sisters right now. He ran out, just ran for a while, until he collapsed, right in front of their ship. Well, it was their home away from home for now – they had traveled with it so much. For now, he made his way to his cabin and curled up on his bed. With shaky fingers did he get out his phone to look up the news. To see that there was a mistake. That his sisters were _wrong_. The war. The war hadn't reached Pluto itself yet, it hadn't taken their parents.

It had been so long since he last saw his parents' faces. To see them like this, bruised, bound, in the background of a maniacally laughing King Kronos of Saturn...

Nico didn't feel like he could breath, he threw his phone away so it hit the opposite wall and landed on Jason's bed. The room seemed to spin around him so he closed his eyes tightly, tried to slow down his breathing but he couldn't because all he could think was that his parents were _taken_.

"Nico. Hey. Nico. Come on, focus on me. Look at me."

Slowly, Nico felt himself come down as Percy gently talked him down from his panic attack. He turned to look at his boyfriend, who sat in front of him, looking at him so softly.

"I'm... I'm so _sorry_, Nico", whispered Percy. "Tell me what you need."

"I... I...", choked Nico out, shaking his head.

"Do you want a... hug?", offered Percy.

Percy seemed as lost as Nico felt. He wanted to help his boyfriend, but he didn't know what to do either. So Nico just nodded, because honestly he didn't know what he needed either, but generally, he felt better and safer in Percy's arms, surrounded by his omega's soothing scent.

"I'll do _anything_ to help, love", promised Percy, kissing the top of Nico's head.

"Don't say that", croaked Nico out with a grimace.

"I _mean_ it, Neeks. I... I can't _imagine_. I just... I want to help you, whatever way I can. Anything."

"No, I mean it, Perce, don't say that", whispered Nico, his voice growing calmer. "I know what I'm going to do. I love you, but-"

"Nicchodaemeous. I _know_", interrupted Percy, sounding as serious.

Nico raised both of his eyebrows as he heard his name, his_ actual_ name, in proper Plutonian pronunciation. Nicodemos was close enough for Earth, but... that Percy had ever actually learned his name and how to say it right? And... what did he mean with _that_?

"Percy", grunted Nico one last time. "I'm going to leave for Pluto and rescue my parents."

"I _know_", whispered Percy. "And I'm coming with you to help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand next chapter we are officially having take-off from planet Earth!


	15. To Steal a Ship (and a Crew)

_Chapter 15: To Steal a Ship (and a Crew)_

"I need you to pack. Quickly. We're going to leave as soon as possible."

Bianca was pacing, back straight and arms behind her back. She paced up and down in front of her siblings in Nico's bedroom. Jason was out, sparring with Reyna right now. Nico and Hazel were sitting next to each other on Nico's bed, watching her curiously.

"Uhm, yeah, Percy is going to come with us", stated Nico reluctantly.

"What? Absolutely not. You're not going to bring your _boyfriend_ along. This isn't going to be a fun vacation where you can snog and whatever-", growled Bianca.

She raised her large, black wings at him, her eyes flashing silver at him. Normally, that was relatively effective, because she was older than him and he had always looked up to her. Right now, it wasn't. Because she was in pure survival mode and he knew she was not thinking it through. So instead of taking the bait and sitting it out, Nico got off the bed, raising his own wings high and straightening up in front of her, trying to show her that he wasn't backing down.

"I'm not taking him along because he's cute and I wanna hold his hand while we fly into the sunset", huffed Nico seriously, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Percy is training, like us. He knows what's going on. And he _demands_ to be a part of this. He demands to come along."

"And you're _so whipped_ by your omega you can't say no?", snarled Bianca unimpressed.

"He's a _captain_!", exclaimed Nico annoyed, spreading his arms. "What do you want to do, Bianca? Neither of us is a pilot, we all train to become warriors, to fight! What, we stow away with some random ship, or what? We need to _get there_. No one is flying to Pluto anymore. We would have to get there ourselves. _How_? We need a ship, we _can't_ man a ship with three people. We need a captain, a pilot, a mechanic because we'll be _fucked_ if something happens to the ship half-way there and Pluto is as far away as it gets. We need a nutritionist, a navigator, a _doctor_, because we don't know anything about first-aid either. We need, at the barest minimum, a skeleton crew to operate the ship and get to Pluto safely. We _can't_ do this on our own, Bianca."

That gave his older sister pause, she simply stared at him. Hazel had gotten up by now and she had taken a stance right next to her brother, holding Bianca's gaze too.

"Nico's right, Bia", voiced Hazel after a moment. "The plan was to graduate and then get on ships that would head to Pluto as reinforcement anyway. Right now, we are... we wouldn't even be prepared for _that_ yet. We definitely aren't prepared to get to Pluto all on our own."

Biting her lips, Bianca averted her eyes. She had to concede that they were right. There was no way the three of them had any chance to make it all the way to Pluto without help...

"We can't risk anyone else", whispered Bianca softly. "This isn't their fight."

"But it's their _choice_. Percy made that clear. He already decided that he was going to come with me. I'm pretty sure there are more people here who care for us and who will come along."

"It's dangerous. It's our planet, our war, our fight. Not theirs. Liking us is not enough motivation to risk their lives – and not just that. Even if we make it there and back alive... they screwed their chance at the academy by deserting", argued Bianca, hugging herself tightly.

"We need help. We need to ask for it", declared Nico. "We _have to_."

"And we have to... steal a ship", noted Hazel with furrowed brows.

"...Yes. Yes, we do", grunted Nico surprised, blinking.

"Okay", sighed Bianca. "Let's find ourselves a ship and a crew. Talk to those you _really_, truly trust. Hopefully, with any luck, we can gather a... skeleton crew together. Go."

She shooed them out of the room, Nico rolling his eyes one last time.

/break\

The crew of the Princess Andromeda was gathered inside the ship, they were sitting in the common room, various degrees of confusion written over their faces. Jake was talking to Chris, whispering curiously as they side-eyed Nico. The only one calm was Percy, who sat between Annabeth and Grover, the two seemingly taking to Percy's calmness and adapting it.

"You know exactly what this is about", whispered Annabeth accusatorily.

"Yes, I do", hummed Percy, smiling at her. "But that's up for Nico to say."

"Nico! What's this about?", called Nyssa out, looking annoyed. "Because I could be out with my girlfriend right now. With _only_ us. Not all of you lot."

Piper grinned at that, ducking her head a little bit. This whole girlfriends-thing was still new to them and they were both enjoying it, albeit it was something to get used to. Piper's fingers slowly crawled over to grasp Nyssa's fingers, gaining her girlfriend's attention.

"I'm the prince of Pluto", stated Nico tensely. "My name is actually Nicchodaemeous."

"Yeah, I think I'll stick with Nico", snorted Jake at that. "That is _a mouthful_."

"Kay so. Jake, Reyna, Piper – pay up", declared Chris with a smirk. "Rach wins."

"It's really insensitive that you people bet on this", sighed Annabeth very disappointed.

"Bet on... What is going on here?", asked Nico confused.

"We took a bet. How long it'll take you to fess up", explained Chris.

"...Did... anyone not know?", wondered Nico.

"I mean, we were all attending Pluto 101 together", offered Grover carefully. "Like. We literally looked at your childhood pics. And know your sisters."

"Now, talk to us", requested Reyna gently. "What... do you want to talk to us about? Because this isn't something you just... bring up like that. There's a reason for it, isn't there?"

"My sisters and I want to leave, as soon as possible", replied Nico, pacing slowly once more. "But we... can't do it on our own. We're going to steal a ship and we'll leave. But we can't alone. We..."

"Need help?", offered Jason after a moment, smiling bemused.

"It will end your career in the academy. You will steal school property. You... will risk your life. You may not come back. I know I'm asking too much-", started Nico tensely.

"Idiot", grunted Will with an eye-roll. "Like we're going to let you do this alone."

"It's dangerous-", argued Nico once more.

"It's an adventure", interrupted Jason. "I mean. I don't mean it like that. It's not... fun and games. But _this_ is exactly what we signed up for. Exploring the universe, _helping_ others in need. That is literally what we're training for, Nico."

"Yeah. If we say no when one of our own, part of our _team_, needs our help... why would we even be doing this?", agreed Piper seriously. "We're a team. We rely on each other. We gotta."

"You don't have to-", tried Nico once more.

""Obviously", huffed Juniper. "What, you want to hold a gun to our head and force us to? Come on, you wouldn't. No, no one is forcing us. This is a chance to help, to learn."

Nico stared at them all in such shocked awe. Smiling softly to himself, Percy got up and walked over to his boyfriend, grasping him by the collarbone and pulling him down to kiss his cheek softly.

"This is why I'm all calm. Because I know our friends have your back", whispered Percy softly.

"But this is... This is more than that", muttered Nico startled.

"Babe. This is dangerous, you're in danger. And what they said is true. We're training for this. All of us are training for this, to go out there and help. So we're going to come with you and help."

Nico made a small, confused noise and leaned against his boyfriend for support.

/break\

"It's a fight, di Angelo. I am _here_ for fighting."

"Clarisse, it's a real war. Not training", argued Bianca irritated.

Clarisse just straightened up to her full height, looming over her. "Princess, don't test me. I'm not an idiot. I know it's a real war. And I am _trained_ to fight it. I've been trained to be a soldier since I could hold a weapon, because I am from a family of soldiers."

"Sweetheart, you can't do this on your own", agreed Silena with emphasis.

"No. I can't take _you_ along, you-", argued Bianca desperately.

"Honey, we're your friends. You need friends. You need a _crew_. You can maybe pull off a trip with a skeleton crew if you were to, say, visit Mercury perhaps. But Pluto? All the way to Pluto? That is too far, especially with going through an active war-zone. You _will_ need all the help you can get. And I _am_ part of that help", countered Silena pointedly.

"I'm on board", grunted Beckendorf next to his girlfriend, nodding slowly. "But Silena's right. You need a full crew. I need a team. Actual mechanics. You can't repair a whole ship on your own. That's some fake fantasy for this training purpose, because there are fixed scenarios."

"A... A team. Okay. We'll find you a team", whispered Bianca, running a hand through her hair.

"You'll need magic", offered Alabaster impishly. "Don't look so startled. You're like my best friend and I've grown fond of your brother too. And you _need_ magic. If you want to make it past Saturn and Uranus all the way to Pluto, you need magic to hide yourselves and the ship. I'm powerful, but I'm not... powerful enough to pull this off on my own."

"Yes, yes, stop glaring at me, Lucas, do you _truly_ think I will allow you to run off with di Angelo into an active war-zone?", sighed Octavian exhausted. "I'll come along as navigator."

Luke smiled pleased and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend's cheek. "Good boy."

Bianca made a slight distressed sound, shaking her head. "You people are out of your mind."

"Others say 'thank you' at that", chuckled Ethan bemused where he sat next to Alabaster.

/break\

Hazel was smiling softly to herself, fingers linked with Ella as she pulled her best friend along. They were closely followed by Tyson, Leo, Frank and Lou Ellen. She couldn't believe that her friends were bright-eyed and excited enough to want to come with her?

They sneaked onto the hanger, Nico had texted her and Bianca to come to the Princess Andromeda when they were done. It was very busy inside the ship, basically all of Nico's team kept running around, carrying things around. Hazel blinked as she barely managed to dodge Rachel, who immediately paused when she saw Hazel and, more importantly, next to Hazel her little cousin.

"Ella. That's a very dangerous idea-", started Rachel with a worried frown.

"If you can make that decision for herself, why shouldn't I?", asked Ella curiously.

Rachel opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she shook her head and just left. "Well? Are you going to follow me or just stand there? You can be useful."

"How?", asked Lou Ellen as she hurried up.

"Divide and conquer. Ella, you're coming with me. I'm helping Will restock the infirmary. Anyone else, go report to Annabeth for now, she's in charge of assigning people to where they'll be most useful in restocking. She's in the control room."

Hazel nodded, parting ways with Ella and Rachel and making her way to the control room. There, in the captain's chair sat Percy, a serious look on his face as he talked to Annabeth in the co-captain chair. The blonde was taking notes on multiple screens, seemingly ahead of a dozen different problems at once while still looking calm and like she had a plan. It was impressive how in her element she looked in that moment and it felt nearly wrong to bother.

"Uh. Not to interrupt, but Rachel sent us here", said Hazel softly.

"Hazel. Inclination to magic. That's good. Very good. Lou Ellen, you're Alabaster's little sister? Perfect. Both of you, report to Alabaster. He should be... down the hall, third room at the end."

"My brother?", groaned Lou Ellen and made a face. "Okay, sure, we're on our way, boss."

"Ty, the machine room – you'll find it? Because Jake and Nyssa, our mechanics, are there and I think that you are a good fit for that", offered Percy with an encouraging smile.

"C... Can I come too for that? I'm training to be a mechanic too", asked Leo curiously.

"Of course, you go right with him", nodded Percy pleased. "Beckendorf will be glad."

"Uh, I'm guessing you keep a list of everyone? So, Ella Dare is also with us, but her cousin already stole her", added Hazel before they left the room again.

"Got it. Very good. That'll be useful. Ella Dare, she does medical studies too, Rachel told me", noted Annabeth very pleased. "You're Frank, right? Clarisse talks about you a lot, she makes you sound like you have potential. Do not make her out to be a liar, you har me. Go to Reyna. She can use some help stocking our weapons."

"Yes, ma'am!", exclaimed Frank, sounding a bit nervous.

"...Never call me that again", warned Annabeth with a deadpan.

Percy laughed, just a little, as they watched the first-years leave. When he turned back to Annabeth, the expression of his face was more sober. He knew exactly that what they were doing was risky and dangerous. And he was _so grateful_ to have his best friends right there with him.

"Mh. There's someone in my seat, Bianca."

Both Percy and Annabeth turned around to see Bianca enter the room, followed by other third years. Luke, grinning teasingly as he walked over to Percy on the captain's chair. Right. This was one thing he hadn't considered. Nico wasn't the only one to bring people with him. Bianca's friends, older, more experienced students, were going to tag along too. Among them, Luke, who was their team's captain. Percy frowned at that. This was weird, he... didn't _want_ to be captain, so why...

"He's not. That's _his_ chair", declared Nico protectively as he pushed past them.

"Scuse me, pint-sized di Angelo?", grunted Clarisse, crossing her arms.

"You heard me. We're taking this ship. Percy is this ship's captain", stated Nico simply, holding her gaze with a fierce glare as he came to stand next to Percy. "That's how that works."

Percy was ready to argue but Luke cut him off. "Fair enough. We can't take our ship. We're leaving the majority of our team behind here. They deserve to keep their ship to continue their education. If we take your entire team, we take your ship. Your ship, your rules. But... if the co-captain seat is still empty, I think I know a thing or two that may be useful for you, kid."

Making a slightly distressed face, Percy looked between Luke and Annabeth, at which Annabeth simply waved a hand. "He can have the job. Might be helpful. There's enough to keep tabs of on this ship. I'll be busy enough. Okay, who did you bring?"

"You're making a list of the crew with their specialties? Very good", praised Luke impressed.

There was something about Luke that was very parental and made one feel good. Annabeth was tapping her fingers against the table, looking them all up curiously.

"Alabaster. Rachel knew you'd come. Go look for your little sister and Hazel. They're... most likely running around looking for you already", noted Annabeth. "Beckendorf, you'll find our mechanics in the engine room, if you'd please. Thank you. Anyone else?"

"I specialize in medicals so I'll just go to the infirmary", declared Silena with a smile.

"Co-pilot", offered Ethan.

"Navigator", stated Octavian with an exasperated sigh.

"Fighter", declared Thalia. "Where's my brother?"

"Saying goodbye to his girlfriend", replied Annabeth as she took notes.

"I'm going to the weapon room", grunted Clarisse. "Grace, come along."

Percy watched as they, aside from the di Angelos and Luke, all left again. Luke looked at Annabeth.

"What do we got? What are we working with?", wanted Luke to know.

"Captain and co-captain present. Medicals: Will, Ella, Silena, Piper. Nutritionists: Grover, Juniper. Magic users: Alabaster, Lou Ellen, Hazel. Navigators: Octavian, Rachel. Mechanics: Beckendorf, Nyssa, Jake, Leo, Tyson. Pilots: Chris, as well as some potential co-pilots – Percy, Ethan. Strategists: Me, Reyna. Fighters: Clarisse, Reyna, Frank, me, Thalia, Jason, Nico, Bianca."

"That is... actually a pretty good line-up", noted Luke impressed. "With that, I think... we actually have a chance to make the trip, Bia. This looks good."

"I'm going to take care of room-assignment next", stated Annabeth. "Can someone make a round, check that _everyone_ knows to bring all of their things. Be packed and ready."

"Will do", confirmed Ethan with a small salute and a smile.

"If... no one really needs me right now, I...", drawled Percy, biting his lips.

"Go", nodded Annabeth with a dismissive gesture. "Be quick."

The others made confused noises but Percy was out there before he felt complied to elaborate. He couldn't leave Earth without saying goodbye to his parents. On his way off the ship, he passed several of his friends, all carrying heavy things and storing them. Food, weapons, anything they needed for their very long journey. A long journey they could maybe not return from.

"Mo—om? Dad? Are you home?", called Percy out as he reached their place.

He unlocked the door and made his way inside. Paul and Sally both looked confused as he entered the living room. They were in their pajamas, watching a movie. Immediately, Sally smiled pleased and got up to pull him into a tight hug. He was going to miss her hugs. Without meaning to, Percy started to shake with a sob. This was stupid. It was his decision, he had made his choice.

"Sweetie? What's wrong?", asked Sally concerned.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. I'm... going to do something very stupid and very dangerous. But it's... it's the right thing and it's the thing I have to do", whispered Percy.

"What are you talking about, my boy?", wanted Paul to know.

His parents exchanged a worried look. "I don't know if I can tell you. I can't have you... stop me."

"Percy, baby, promise me whatever it is, you're... going to be fine."

Sally grasped his face, cupping his cheeks with both hands and making him look up at her. He nodded sharply, swallowing hard. He shouldn't promise this. He couldn't promise this.

"I love you, both of you, a lot", whispered Percy as he hugged them both.

"We love you too, kiddo", promised Paul, wrapping his arms around Percy. "Just... be safe."

"We knew when you decided on this job that... you're going to be doing dangerous things. Are you _sure_ what you're doing is the right thing?", wanted his mother to know, one last time.

"Yes", declared Percy with all the conviction he could muster. "I'm going to help someone. Someone who really needs help. And it's important."

Sally smiled at him, gently kissing his forehead. They both knew him better than to try and stop him. When Percy wanted to do something, he did it. There was no stopping him. Percy hugged them again, before he said goodbye. Maybe forever. He made his way back to the ship, heaving a deep sigh as he entered it and left human soil for the last time in at least many months.

Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he shook off all doubt and fear. With a determined expression on his face did he walk back into the control room, where Octavian, Rachel, Annabeth, Luke, Chris and Nyssa were all already on their respective seats.

"Is everyone ready and here? Do we have everything?", asked Percy.

"Everyone's accounted for and double-checked that they have everything important. Rooms are assigned. We're ready for take-off if you are, captain", replied Annabeth with a small smile.

With one last deep breath did Percy take his seat as the captain. "Ready for take-off then."

"Course set for Pluto", called Chris out. "Con and Trav are going to open the hanger for us."

Percy swallowed as he watched the doors open for them. This was it. Take-off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have take-off! Next up, we gotta make some... rooming arrangements, because this is more people than there are beds in this, so time to settle into the ship ;)

**Author's Note:**

> [My updating schedule](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/profile) can be found on my profile!
> 
> There is [a referrence post with illustrations for **the visual of different alien races**](https://www.deviantart.com/takara-phoenix/art/The-Prince-of-Pluto-Sketches-822635364) and come visit me on tumblr at [takaraphoenix](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/), where I happily answer questions about fics, PJO and other various things and occasionally post sneak peeks or concepts for upcoming fics, if you're curious.


End file.
